The Chest of Imprisonment
by Sakura Naoko
Summary: Sakura is a powerful Celtic preistess who discoveres a deep secret regarding the return of the most powerful demon to have existed. Based on Celtic lore!
1. The One with Power

We, the authoresses, would like to warn the readers. The following story is based on Celtic lore, thus many symbols and meanings are different from modern times. For instance, a pentagram, instead of a sign of evil, was a sign of protection. If this type of thing offends you, don't read it. It's that plain and simple. We will not suffer any flames from anybody regarding anything of this type.  
  
~----~  
  
I was meditating with my eyes closed, humming softly. Nothing seemed to be moving in the room, but outside the village was busy with people. One person in particular was running towards my tent from the opposite end of the village. She ran, not watching where she was going, until she ran into someone. He was a very handsome young man, no, that is wrong, he is a very handsome man of 19 years; he was the village heads' son. The girl quickly apologized with a bow and took off running again. The man watched as she headed towards my end of the village again.  
  
~----~  
  
As she approached the tent she slowed her pace down to a slow walk, for she could hear humming coming from the tent, which meant that whomever was inside was meditating. She stood outside the tent until the humming stopped and there was no more noise. She slowly pulled the flap back and crawled inside. Her dark black hair swayed, so that when the sun shined on it, it became a deep midnight blue. The girl that was meditating slowly opened her eyes and seemed to be looking beyond her surrounding into the spiritual world. Behind her stood a Celtic cross that gleamed as the sun's rays hit it in the open flap. Her eyes slowly focused on the girl standing before her, her emerald colored eyes sparkled as she saw her friend.  
  
"Tomoyo," she said almost inaudibly.  
  
Tomoyo, as the girl was called, had to lean forward to hear her name.  
  
"Yes, I received word from a traveler that one of the villages over the mountain range was completely destroyed by a demon," Tomoyo said.  
  
The girl sitting on the floor raised her hand to quiet the girl.  
  
"I already know. I have been meditating on the strange feeling I have been having. I saw a vision. The demon that did this is truly strong and will do anything to get what he wants. My Great-great-great grandmother before me sealed him in a chest with 13 jewels on it. Legend has it that this chest is the only means to seal a demon for eternity. It appears that at least one of the jewels was taken from the chest and the demon was released," the girl said shifting her gaze to the tent flap that was blowing the small breeze.  
  
Tomoyo kneeled down on the ground so she could be eye level with the sitting girl. She loved it when the priestess told stories of the past, and she knew when she was going to get one, because the priestess's eyes always shifted away from her and seemed to go back to their distant state.  
  
"A long time ago, before my ancestor was born, a demon appeared. The only person who knew where he came from died as the demon's first victim." The priestess tossed a stone onto the ground. It landed face up. "Hm.... mist," she said without looking at the stone. She tossed another stone down. "Earth," she said. She was quiet for a minute. Tomoyo waited patiently. "The demon ravaged villages, towns, anything that he could destroy he would. Anyone with any magic power would be devoured by the demon, so that he could absorb his or her magic."  
  
Tomoyo gasped. For a brief moment, she thought about being eaten by a demon. She was gifted with the power of foresight, but, unlike the high priestess, she could not control the elements, nor read omens. The priestess had taken Tomoyo under her wing to help her with her foresight, and to teach her how to read omens and relate them to her visions.  
  
"My ancestor, Sakura, who is named like me, Sakura; as is the custom for the priestesses in our family, grew up in the terror. She lived in a forest, the only place that the demon would not ever step foot in, for the Horned God would keep it safe. He could also not touch sacred circles, for our Lady dwelled in them and kept him out. Whenever the Demon came near, everyone would flee to the nearest holy site, and those who lagged behind were destroyed. It was a time like this that Sakura witnessed the Demon's evil power and vowed to stop him. One night, her mother had a dream that the Demon would grow so powerful that not even the Horned One or the Lady could stop him. However, she also was sent a vision on his weakness and how he could be confined. Sakura's mother knew that the demon knew of her knowledge and that he would come to kill her, so she gave Sakura her pentagram, told her of the demon's secret, then sent her into the nearby forest to save her only child. Not one day after Sakura was hidden away, the Demon attacked the village and destroyed everyone, and devoured Sakura's mother."  
  
Sakura closed her eyes. "Yes, Tomoyo, this is the pentagram that I wear."  
  
Tomoyo glanced at the Pentagram that was around the High Priestess's neck. It was a silver pendant with a ruby in the middle. An ornate dragon was curved around it.  
  
"Many years passed, and Sakura lived with the spirits of the forest and learned from them. Seven years after her mother died, Sakura left the woods and traveled to a nearby shrine where she had heard that there lived three Sisters, each having powerful magic. Chiharu, the oldest, could control time and space. She could go anywhere she wanted, anytime she wanted. Rika, the middle sister, controlled the elements, fire, water, air, earth, and mana. Naoko, the youngest, was a seer and a prophesier, the most powerful that has ever walked the land and will ever walk this earth. The sisters, who knew that their end was to come soon, and also, knew of Sakura's coming, worked together to make a chest that would hold the Demon. On it, they placed 13 different jewels imbued with magic to keep the Demon in. On Sakura's arrival, they gave her the chest and told her how to capture the demon. They also told her where to find it, so that she would be saved much time in trying to find him. Sakura traveled to the foretold place, and opened the jeweled chest and captured the Demon. In order to assure that no one could ever release the Demon, she traveled to the highest mountain and there delved a cave to keep the box in. Before she left the cave, she wove enchantments on it to make sure that no one could find it."  
  
"But someone did find it," Tomoyo breathed.  
  
Sakura's eyes focused again. "Yes," she sighed. "More powerful than my ancestor." She shook her head and picked up the runes. "I don't know what to do. Tomoyo? Have you had any visions or dreams lately?"  
  
"No my lady," Tomoyo said. "I am sorry," she hung her head.  
  
"Do not be ashamed," Sakura said. "It is not your fault. You are only ten seasons."  
  
Tomoyo nodded in agreement, still feeling slightly abashed that she could not help the priestess. She looked up when she felt a hand against her face; her eyes met Sakura's brilliant emerald eyes.  
  
"I said that it is not your fault," she said again.  
  
Tomoyo smiled. Sakura stood up and pulled Tomoyo up by the hands.  
  
"Come, we must go for a walk," Sakura announced.  
  
"But my Lady, no one is expecting it," Tomoyo replied, a bit worried. "Nothing is prepared!"  
  
"Tomoyo, we must not always let people know when I go out," Sakura explained. "There is no enjoyment in that. I am never left alone." She paused. "I know that they are my responsibility, but most requests are trivial things that they can take care of themselves, or something that I have no power over."  
  
Tomoyo looked a little confused.  
  
"You know what I mean. Ok, you know when you go on your walks in the forest?" Sakura asked looking at Tomoyo.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Well, you want to be alone, right?" Sakura asked again.  
  
Tomoyo nodded again.  
  
"Well, this is going to be like that. I do not want anyone to know that it is me, so I am going to dress like you," Sakura finished.  
  
Tomoyo stared at her in awe as she went behind a section in the tent to change. "Something is going to happen... something bad. I can just feel it..." Tomoyo thought to herself.  
  
Sakura emerged wearing a plain brown dress and a simple pair of leather shoes. She looked nothing like the priestess Tomoyo had seen a few minutes earlier. All of her hair was down and a little messy, almost as if she hadn't brushed it back out when she changed.  
  
"To me, my lady, you still look like the high priestess," Tomoyo said.  
  
"That is only because you are around me all the time," Sakura smiled at her. "Well, let us be on our way."  
  
The two stepped out of the dimly lit tent into the bright and young day. It was roughly noon in the village and people were still busy buying food, and cloth to make clothing. Sakura looked around and thought that the villagers looked better when they were not begging for her help. They wandered through the small open-aired shops that were around when Sakura accidentally ran into someone while she was chatting with Tomoyo.  
  
"Oh, I apologize for that. I was not watching where I was going," Sakura said and looked up to the person she ran into.  
  
He had the most entrancing, deep amber eyes that held you in their grasp, sucking the breath away from you and causing your heartbeat to quicken. She looked away quickly, a little ashamed for staring for so long.  
  
"I apologize for staring as well," she said quietly.  
  
"It is all right," he replied. He should have apologized as well, but he could not help but as feel that he, himself was drowning in her green eyes. He face seemed to be a little warm, but he thought that the cause of that was the sun directly overhead. This was warmest time of the day, so he decided that it was the cause of the sun and the sun only. "I do not believe I have seen you around here before, are you a traveler?"  
  
Sakura turned to him, "Yes, yes I am."  
  
The man smiled. "My name is Syaoran. I am the son of the village leader. Who are you?"  
  
"Eh... my name is... Tomoyo," She said, off of the top of her head.  
  
"Really? I believe there is a little girl here named Tomoyo," Syaoran told her. "Oh, yes, before I forget, there is a feast tonight for our high priestess. We give one to her two times a year, to thank her for staying here, and for keeping the Chest of Imprisonment safe."  
  
"Chest of Imprisonment...?" Sakura asked, trying to act as if she had no idea what it was.  
  
"Yes, it keeps the evil Demon under control and away from us commoners, who have no means to defend ourselves." Syaoran said.  
  
"Oh... what a coincidence," Sakura said. "I hear that a village not too far from here was completely destroyed by a demon..."  
  
Syaoran's smile disappeared. "Yes, that is true. My father intends to ask the Priestess what we should do about that...."  
  
"Well," Sakura said. "I must go, but," she smiled mysteriously, "I will be at the feast." She turned around and walked in the direction of the forest.  
  
"I wouldn't go too far," Syaoran said. "If you really intend to go to the feast, it will be starting soon!"  
  
Sakura gave no response to him and continued walking. She could tell that the boy simply shook his head and walked away. As soon as she was sure she was alone, she stopped and put a hand to her cheek. "Oh... what was that I felt?" she asked. "Could it be love?" she shook her head. "This is no time to be falling for anyone," she reprimanded herself. "Not with the One Evil walking abroad again..."  
  
She turned and ran in the direction of her hut to change. The villagers always liked to see her in something that made her look powerful, so she always tried to impress them. However, what they didn't know that she might as well be naked and covered in filth for all it mattered.  
  
Sakura walked into the dark and smoky back and pulled out a chest. Tomoyo slipped in. "Are you changing, my lady?" she asked.  
  
"Yes," Sakura sighed. "I do so hate these occasions.  
  
"Well, you do get to bless the fields tonight," Tomoyo told her. "That is fun, is it not?"  
  
Sakura smiled a bit. It was spring, and the flowers were just starting to bloom. It was at this time a year, Beltane, the second day of the second month, which the power was at its greatest, at least in life. "Yes," she said. "It is. Not much of a feast though."  
  
Tomoyo sighed. "You KNOW that there is not much food."  
  
"I know, I know," Sakura said.  
  
Tomoyo stepped forward. "I made you a crown," she held up a wreath of early bluebells and snowdrops.  
  
"Oh! It's simply beautiful!" Sakura exclaimed and hugged Tomoyo. The girl beamed.  
  
"Hm... I think it will match perfectly with this dress," she said. She opened the chest and pulled out a white, long, form-fitting dress that flared out near the knees to nearly twice her arm length in diameter at the bottom. She turned to Tomoyo. "You did make one for yourself, did you not?"  
  
Tomoyo hung her head shyly.  
  
"Silly child. Go out and make one. You are officially my apprentice now," she said.  
  
Tomoyo put the wreath down and ran outside. Sakura watched her fondly. "She will be great one day," she murmured and started to undress.  
  
After she put the dress on, she looked down and sighed. "I have lost even more weight..." Over the last few years, there had been famines, and this year was particularly worse. Sakura did not know whether or not it had foretold the coming of the Demon, but she did not really think so, because Tomoyo had no forbidding dreams. Even though the girl did not have much faith in her power, Sakura had always made her recite her dreams to her, in order to teach her that all dreams and visions she had might predict something, and to teach her how to find the signs. Tomoyo had been getting better, but her self-doubt held her back. Sakura sometimes wished that she wasn't as powerful as she was, for she feared her power was what Tomoyo used as a definition for what a Priestess was supposed to be. Nevertheless, Sakura was determined to make Tomoyo powerful.  
  
Sakura put her pentagram necklace back on, then turned to the chest and pulled out several more items. One was a ringlet that went onto her head. It was gold, and one of the precious relics that Sakura had kept safe. It contained much power, for priestesses of her line had passed it down for many, many, many generations, even before Sakura the Savior. None of the priestesses really knew where it came from, but the only story that could be remembered that it was given to the first Priestess of her line, by a chieftain's son who had fallen in love with her. The two could not be together, for the prince's father forbade it, however, they had a child in secret, and that Priestess passed the circlet on. It seemed to retain some of the power of each Priestess that wore it, if not all, for it contained more power each generation. Sakura did not use it much; it was mainly a power source to draw upon for exorcisms and healing. No evil spirits ever came to the tiny village, and most wounds were minor enough that she did not need to use an immense amount of power.  
  
However, it looked stunning; it was a thin circlet, finely wrought, engraved with Celtic knots, and with a single tear-shaped diamond hanging down in the front-middle over the bridge of her nose. Sakura put this on, and put the flower wreathe over it, so only the diamond was showing. She then put on a golden girdle, which consisted of small, round, knots attached to each other, and then went into a chain hanging down the front.  
  
Lastly, she picked up a small, copper circlet with a crystal in the front, instead of a diamond. "I think Tomoyo is old enough to wear this," she said.  
  
Tomoyo ran back in, a simpler wreath on her head. "I'm ready!" She said.  
  
"Just a minute," Sakura said. She knelt down and took off Tomoyo's wreathe, put on the copper circlet, and put the wreath back on. She then kissed the girl's forehead and stood up. "I think you look like a priestess to me," she said.  
  
Tomoyo twisted her hands and looked at the ground. She was not dressed like one; her shift was dirty and too small, her face and hands were streaked with dirt, no doubt the result of the search for flowers, and her feet were blistered and cracked from the recent winter. However, the girl emanated a quiet power, to which only the trained eye could place. To most people, it seemed only to be self-confidence.  
  
"Well, we must be going," Sakura said, standing up. "Consider this your coming out."  
  
Tomoyo looked up to Sakura with eyes glittering with tears. She quickly ran up to Sakura and hugged her.  
  
"Thank you," she said quietly.  
  
"You are quite welcome," Sakura replied.  
  
The left the tent and made their way back into the town. People were just putting the finishing touches on the village when they noticed her coming.  
  
"Everyone! The Priestess is coming, hurry!" a villager called to all that were near.  
  
Sakura sighed.  
  
"My Lady, are you all right?" Tomoyo asked a bit worriedly.  
  
"I am fine, just fine," Sakura replied.  
  
They entered the village shoppe grounds and saw the magnificent decorations. The early flowers were everywhere and the candles lit up the entire village. All of the people of the village started to emerge from tents with small gifts for the Priestess. Sakura had a solemn expression on her face, at times like these; the only time Sakura allowed herself to smile, was when she was blessing the fields. The people of the village expected her to be solemn and serene. As the approached her, bearing gifts, she could tell right away those who needed her to heal something and those who needed her to exorcise a small wild spirit from their crops, they were always the ones who had larger gifts.  
  
She nodded her head slightly to them as they bowed. She looked across all of the people and her eyes met a set of deep, very serious yet kind, pair of amber eyes. She quickly looked back towards the villagers who were asking her to come heal someone.  
  
"My Lady, please. My daughter is terribly sick," a woman called out and took Sakura's hand carefully.  
  
Sakura followed the woman back to her tent where her daughter lay in a feverish sleep. The girl tossed and turned, for she was in immense pain, Sakura had never seen this kind of illness in the village before.  
  
"Is this an omen?" she asked herself in her mind. "I will do my best to rid her of the spirit that is plaguing her."  
  
The woman nodded slowly.  
  
Sakura closed her eyes and started humming. A small breeze started to pick up in the tent blowing leaves and small petals that had fallen off the flowers that decorated the bizarre outside.  
  
"Codladh fada, Codladh domhain. Éirigh! Amharc síos. Aldebaran.  
  
Siúil liom tríd an réalta dearg. Deireadh, deireadh an turas. Réaltóg, réaltóg dearg." **  
  
A bright light emitted from the girl's body and flew up to the top of the tent swirling very quickly. Suddenly after another flash of light the tent was dark.  
  
"Lady Priestess, you did it," the woman said quietly. "Thank you."  
  
Sakura smiled slightly in the darkness where no one could see her. She emerged from the tent into the pale moonlight that lay over the village. How long had she been in there? An hour? Two hours? It didn't really matter, exorcisms always took a while. It was now time to go out to the edge of the village to bless the fields, her favorite part of the feasts.  
  
"My Lady," Tomoyo called. "Everyone is waiting for you at the fields."  
  
"Coming," Sakura replied and walked out to the fields with Tomoyo.  
  
As they came upon the fields where the moon washed over the vast acres of flowers. The flowers in the field seemed to reach up to the moon as a main life source.  
  
"It seems as if Mistress Moon is feeding them extra today," Sakura said as she came upon the groups of villagers.  
  
"You think?" a deep voice came from behind her.  
  
Sakura turned around once again to find staring into the amber eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and she let out a small 'yes' that was about four octaves higher than her normal voice. She turned around and closed her eyes once again. Just as she was about to start humming a horrible, monstrous cry was heard throughout the group of villagers. Sakura turned to face them, horrified by the terrible cry. In the middle of the group of villagers was a huge demon with horns glowing the color of burning embers from a recent fire. Its teeth were stained red and it's eyes glowed yellow with anger and hatred. Sakura's body jerked violently as one of the villagers was eaten alive. She fell to her knees as the demon spotted her standing alone and made it's way towards her, eating innocent villagers on its way.  
  
"My Lady! Run quickly!" Tomoyo shouted as Syaoran pulled her away from the demon.  
  
Sakura looked to Tomoyo with such frightened eyes that Tomoyo had never seen before on the Priestess. It looked as though she were frightened to die.  
  
"She knows..." Tomoyo mumbled, eyes misting over with tears that were unshed.  
  
"Knows what?" Syaoran asked looking to Sakura.  
  
The demon grabbed Sakura's body and took off towards the mountain ranges. The remaining villagers that had survived the attack were crying, for both those that lost their lives and for Sakura.  
  
"It is my fault!" Tomoyo screamed and tried to break free from Syaoran's hold. "It' is all my fault! I did not want to believe the dream, I did not!"  
  
"Dream? You can foresee things?" Syaoran asked looking down onto Tomoyo's tear-streaked face. "The dream... she was captured, and murdered. The chest... the chest is needed... it is the only way!" Tomoyo replied with new tears. "The Chest? What Chest?" Syaoran asked. "The Chest-" Tomoyo broke him off. "Of Imprisonment." She broke into tears anew. "Why did not I listen to her?" she wailed. Syaoran looked at the other villagers. The ones who had not bolted at the first sight of the Demon looked terrified. Syaoran saw with some dismay that his father was not one of them. "Everyone! Back to the village! Set a guard up for the Demon to return!" "He will not come back," Tomoyo whispered. "He has what he wants." Syaoran shook his head. "You heard me! He bellowed. "Since you are the only ones here who have a decent heart, form a guard and keep watch!" He heard murmurs of ascent. "You," he said more gently to Tomoyo, "Are coming with me." Tomoyo shook her head and started to cry harder, but Syaoran picked her up and carried her to the meetinghouse. ~*~ "We have to do something," Syaoran said after Tomoyo had related what she knew. "But, he is not-" The town Leader started. "It does not matter!" Syaoran yelled. "He could kill her any time and gain her powers!" "Um..." Tomoyo started softly. "She still has her pentagram. It, with her circlet, will keep her safe for the time being." Syaoran shook his head. "Not for long," he said. "Think of how powerful the Demon WILL be after he devours the Priestess!" he said. "We will not be safe anywhere, or anyone else!" Everyone else was silent. Then, one of the Elders, Sakura's aunt, said, "What of the Chest?" Tomoyo shook her head. "The Priestess is the only one who can wield it properly. Plus, she said that some or all of the jewels are gone..." The assembly was aghast. "Who would do such a thing?" One man asked. "And why?" another said. The Leader was silent. "Who should go and take the Chest?" "Someone needs to rescue the Priestess first," Sakura's aunt said. "Like her apprentice said, Sakura only has the power to use the Chest... unless she does," they looked at Tomoyo. The girl swelled with pride at being called The Priestesses' apprentice, but her face fell a bit when they mentioned her stopping the demon. "I do not," she said. "I only have the power of foresight, and, even if I could, the Demon would have eaten me, or I would have captured him already." "Then," the Leader said. "Who shall rescue our priestess?" The room was silent again. Suddenly, Syaoran stood up. "I will." There was a chorus of voices, but the Leader's override them all. "You will not go!" He said. "You are my only son!" "And the only one willing enough to risk the journey!" Syaoran said. The room was silent again. "While I am gone," Syaoran said, and raised his hands at the uproar that started up. "The Priestess's Apprentice will be in charge of the village. She is the only one who will know where you can be safe, and other leaders," he stared hard at his father, "Seem to be incapable of doing anything." His father sat there silently, watching his son. He knew he couldn't change his son's mind even if he tried putting him into house arrest. The other people in the meetinghouse looked down at the table in silence. They did not want Syaoran to leave; he was the only one besides the Priestess that ever gave them a sense of hope and joy. Seeing either of the two always made everyone at peace.  
  
"Well, if you must go, please return safely... with the Priestess," the villager sitting next to his father said.  
  
The rest of the committee nodded in agreement. Syaoran took a deep breath and stood, ready to exit the room and begin gather the supplies that he would need on his journey.  
  
"Syaoran..." his father called.  
  
Syaoran turned to his father with a dark look flickering in his amber eyes. "Yes father?"  
  
"Please, do come back safely," his father finished.  
  
Syaoran slightly nodded his head towards his father, his expression never changing, and walked out the door. The villagers had gathered near the door and were listening to the conversation. They were all worried about the Priestess, but now they were worried for their leader's son. He was so young to them, not as young as Tomoyo, but still young. They believed that he was not ready for this sort of journey, but they knew that no other in the village could bear the challenges as Syaoran could. Syaoran was somewhat startled by all of their melancholy faces as he looked over the crowd. Some were actually crying, and others had worry written across their faces.  
  
Syaoran smiled softly, "I will be fine. I promise to return with the Priestess."  
  
Only a few of the villagers showed small smiles, the rest looked uneasy.  
  
"Syaoran, please do not go," a small boy said and tugged on Syaoran's shirtsleeve.  
  
A woman came up and retrieved her son. "I am sorry. He is saddened by your departure." The woman took one look at Syaoran and let out a small cry.  
  
Others throughout the crowd let out small cries of sadness as Syaoran looked around and met eyes with his friends and elders. Tomoyo walked out of the meeting hall and stood behind Syaoran.  
  
"Sire, I have some instructions for you... on where to find the first jewel. That is, after you get the Priestess back," Tomoyo said quietly.  
  
Syaoran kneeled down to Tomoyo's level and looked her in the eye. "Yes?"  
  
"The first jewel is the Diamond of Ice, it is held by the Lady of Winter in the North. She is a cold woman who relies on all powers of winter; she uses all tactics needed to keep the jewel in her possession. Please be careful when battling her," Tomoyo replied.  
  
"Tomoyo, I promise that I will bring her back... and I will get the chest," Syaoran reassured her.  
  
Tomoyo wanted to believe him, but she knew it would be hard for him to achieve that goal.  
  
"For now Tomoyo, or should I say, Priestess, you need to move everyone away from here in case the demon comes back," Syaoran explained.  
  
Tomoyo nodded, but her eyes were still troubled by something, but she knew she had to keep it to herself... no one else could know. Syaoran stood up and headed back to his home to pack for his journey. Tomoyo watched his retreating figure until it disappeared into a small home in the center of the village. She turned and headed back to Sakura's tent where she could try to get a vision, or find anything that might ease the villagers with their troubled hearts.  
  
Syaoran stood in the entrance to his room, he had already packed all of the clothes he would need for his journey. He was just making sure he had gotten everything that was of value to him, because he might need to pawn them off to get fare for traveling. If he were correct, he would be traveling very much in the next few months on his journey to find all of the jewels to seal the Chest of Imprisonment.  
  
Syaoran stepped out of his father's dwelling (he refused to call it his own; he hated it there) and looked around. Most of the villagers were still watching him, but some had gone about their daily business. He didn't really care, to tell the truth, he wasn't much fond of the village either. He had always wanted to be a hero, and now he was going to fulfill his dream. He knew that the village was his responsibility, but retrieving the Priestess was part of it too. Or, that's what he told himself.  
  
Syaoran turned to leave, but Tomoyo ran up to him again. "Here," she said and pressed some stones into his hands. Syaoran looked at them.  
  
"They are runes," Tomoyo said. "They contain great power. You should only use them only when it is absolutely necessary."  
  
Syaoran nodded. "Thank you," he said. He hoisted his bag up onto his shoulder. "I wonder if the blacksmith has a sword he can sell me," he said to himself. He walked in the general direction of the smithies.  
  
Syaoran entered a medium sized dwelling were the blacksmith worked. It was very dark and dirty inside; just the way a smithy should be. Syaoran smiled slightly to himself.  
  
"Meling!" he called into the smithy.  
  
A girl with long black hair and a smudged face walked out from the back with a hammer in her hand.  
  
"Syaoran? What are you doing here? I thought you father forbade you from coming here again," Meling, the girl, replied.  
  
"Well, I have a job that I need to do now. I need a sword," Syaoran answered.  
  
"Well, I have a lot of swords. Come take a look if you would like," she replied and led him into the back room.  
  
Along the wall were dozens of silver-bladed swords all varying in length and shape. Syaoran walked back and forth trying to decide on the right sword.  
  
"Meling, who's here?" a man's voice called out from the fire.  
  
"It's just Syaoran, father," Meling replied.  
  
A big, strong man emerged from behind the fireplace. He had a kind look in his eyes.  
  
"Syaoran, it's good to see you again," he replied.  
  
"As to see you, uncle," Syaoran replied.  
  
Yes, the blacksmith was Syaoran's uncle. Though, being his father's brother and being the youngest, he did not receive any of the family's wealth, and therefore, had to take up the job of blacksmith.  
  
"The priestess?" his uncle interjected.  
  
Syaoran nodded. "I need a sword that is capable of defeating the many that hold the jewels."  
  
"I know just the sword. I just finished it," his uncle replied.  
  
The man went back over to the furnace and retrieved a long, golden sword. Along the blade was a finely carved row of Celtic dragons, interlocking together. The dragons gave the sword a sense of power, strength and courage. Syaoran's uncle handed it to him and he took it buy the hilt with on hand under the sharp, glistening blade.  
  
Syaoran twirled the blade around in the air. "It's wonderful, Uncle," he said and smiled as he swung it through the air. He stopped and turned to his uncle. "How much does it cost?"  
  
Syaoran's uncle shook his head. "Nothing. Just bring the Priestess back," he said.  
  
"But, I must-"  
  
Syaoran's uncle shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "It is all I can do to help."  
  
Syaoran looked to Meling, but she just shrugged. "Take it Syaoran. We all want the Priestess back."  
  
Syaoran nodded slowly as he thought about the look in the Priestess's eyes as she was carried off by the Demon.  
  
His uncle put the blade into its sheath and handed it to Syaoran. He strapped it over his shoulders, adjusting it slightly so the weight would be evenly distributed. Syaoran bowed to his uncle and cousin and left the smithy.  
  
He decided that the best way to track the Priestess would be to start where she had been captured. He slowly made his way towards the fields as the sun was starting to rise. There was an eerie silence in the fields; the trees were not talking and the birds were not singing to each other. The wind was silent and the flowers shuddered as they relived the horrendous events of the evening. Syaoran's eyes traveled to where the blood of the deceased villagers stained the dark brown earth and ugly greenish color. Small remnants of clothing scattered the area, all of different colors. Syaoran closed his eyes as he also saw the scar that the Demon left on the trees when it forced it's way to the fields; they would never recover from that. He knelt down to examine the footprints in the dirt; they led down through the flower fields.  
  
"I had better tell everyone that I am leaving now," Syaoran thought.  
  
He headed back to the village to announce his departure. The village took it a bit better than when they first found out about it, but they still had melancholy expressions. Syaoran took the quietness that followed to leave quietly. It was better to leave before anyone could decide that they would restrain him.  
  
As he made his way through the gullet that demon left through the flowers and his skin prickled as he felt the evil aura that it left on the flowers.  
  
It seemed that the flowers, themselves, even wanted the Priestess back and they guided him. ~-~ Syaoran did not travel long before he reached carnage. It was a small farming family, a wife, husband, and three children: the oldest no more than 13. Syaoran could tell they had been dead for a couple of days, for what was left of their bodies was starting to rot and the flies were so thick it seemed as if their flesh was crawling. The stench was overwhelming and it was all Syaoran could do to keep from vomiting. 'I cannot do this,' He thought. 'Great warriors would not throw up...' Syaoran stared at the bodies for a bit, wondering how much fear they had experienced before they died, and if their death was painful, or not. After 15 minutes, he turned to go. He hadn't taken more than three steps when he could have sworn someone called his name. He turned around quickly, but there was nothing there except the corpses, flies, and the stench. He clenched his fists and unclenched them uneasily. "I must bury them," he said finally. "They might not be able to pass on..." He sighed and removed his sword, ready for his task. Whether or not great warriors could handle dragging rotting bodies around, Syaoran did not know or care. He was not able to get through the burial before throwing up at least twice. After five mounds had been raised, he took some wood from the ruined house and stuck it at the head of each grave as a marker. He then found some flowers about 500 feet away and sprinkled them on the grave, muttering some words he had recalled the Priestess chant at a burial a few years previous. He then gave a harsh laugh. "That will not do at all!" he said. "I do not even know what I am saying!" He walked over, grabbed his shield and sword, then kneeled before the graves, holding the sword, point to the ground, and his shield in front of it, the symbol of fealty and pledge. "I swear I will avenge you," he said. "By my honor, I will kill the demon." After staying in his position for a few more minutes, he finally got up and left. A few hours later, Syaoran came across a small stream. Unable to stand the coagulating blood that covered his clothes, hands, and arms, he stripped and leaped into the water to clean. After he scrubbed a few layers of skin off and scrubbed his clothes until his knuckles swelled and bled he lay back on the bank to let the sun scour the rest of his dark feelings away with the warmth. Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
** Sakura's Incantation translation:  
  
Long sleep  
  
Deep sleep.  
  
Rise! Look down  
  
Aldebaran. Walk with me through the red star.  
  
The end, end of the journey.  
  
Star, red star.  
  
Those words are in Gaelic and taken from a song that Enya sang.  
  
Author's Notes: Sakura: Hello there! It is I, Sakura, and my faithful friend Naoko.  
  
Naoko: Greetings. You have just read Chapter One of our Masterpiece. The following chapters will come slowly as we are trying to make the chapters as long as we possible can to fulfill you reading desires.  
  
Sakura: Indeed. Do not fret though! We will not dally in working on them!  
  
Naoko: Anyway, Chest of Imprisonment, will, we hope, be our best story that we have written and we hope you readers will like it.  
  
Sakura: Ano... didn't we already say that?  
  
Naoko: What of it?  
  
Sakura: *sighs* Never mind.  
  
Kuri-chan: Do not be alarmed by their intelligent speech! It is all a hoax!  
  
Sakura/Naoko: KURI-CHAN!  
  
Kuri-chan: Kyah! *runs away*  
  
Sakura: By the way, our 'Author's Notes' will appear at the end of each chapter.  
  
Naoko: That way, you can enjoy the story without us interrupting.  
  
Sakura: In any case, please review this story even if you did not like it. We appreciate all the feedback we can get. It helps up to write better.  
  
Naoko: Farewell for now!  
  
Sakura: Until next time!  
  
Kuri-chan: =^_^= Fare thee well in the vast expanse of Fanfiction.net.  
  
By the way: Sakura and Naoko, in no way, own any of the characters from CardCaptor Sakura. It belongs to the wonderful female manga-ka's of CLAMP. Sakura and Naoko also do not take credit for the song they took the incantation from. Thank you. 


	2. The Lady of the North

The smell was horrible as I sat there in the dark cave. It soon overwhelmed me and I drifted into a fitful sleep, plagued by dreams that showed my emotions like they were small crystals being shattered. I felt anger towards the Demon... but also fear. I did not want to die. I was still young; I was only seventeen seasons. I felt sad for Tomoyo. She was so young and had to go through this. Was she doing well? Would someone tell me? Please? My runes; I felt empty without them. A sweet smell came to my nose as I thought about Syaoran. What was this feeling? My heart quickened and my face grew warm. If it is love, which I am sure it cannot be, at least I hope; I cannot fall in love with him. I have obligations to fulfill. That pungent smell came back, and I knew that Demon was approaching. My eyes opened and I caught the hatred that burned in the Demon's silted eyes. He tusked face, hardened by years of anger and seclusion. It's teeth; those long sharp, piercing, yellow stained teeth glistened in apprehension of eating a fresh meal. Just looking at him made my stomach churn.  
  
~-~  
  
It was beginning to get very cold and Syaoran's breath became visible as he trekked through the snow at the base of Frozen North Mountain. The mountain was always covered with snow; it was how the Lady of the North liked it. Syaoran looked up and took in the size of the mountain. From the village that he had left only days before, this mountain did not seem insurmountable; but up close it was completely different. You could not see the peak of the mountain where the Lady of the North lived, for it was shrouded in thick white clouds that usually bring snow.  
  
"This does not bode well," Syaoran sighed and shifted his pack.  
  
As he continued on the journey, he did not notice a pair of silver eyes that peered at him from the tree line.  
  
"Strangers come. They seek the diamond..." a voice came from the shadow where the eyes were.  
  
Syaoran began to struggle as he climbed the steep mountainside. The bitter frost that started to settle was taking its toll on him. He soon came upon a small cave just big enough for him to be in comfortably. He lit a small fire and sat there, staring into the flames that danced from log to log.  
  
"Priestess..." he mumbled as his eyes began to get heavy with sleep.  
  
He struggled to stay conscious in the bitter wind that came through the cave opening, but it was futile. He slid into unconsciousness but was acutely aware that he still had his senses.  
  
It was cold and dark where his dream took him, and his instincts told him that someone was watching him, maybe even protecting him.  
  
"Syaoran..." a soft voice called.  
  
At first, Syaoran could not reply, he was speechless with the cold. This entity, it's aura, he somehow knew it, and it knew his name.  
  
"Syaoran, you must be careful," the voice said. "You must keep going. Not only for my sake, but for the sake of the villagers that are counting on you."  
  
"Priestess? How is it that you can enter my dreams?" Syaoran asked, finally finding his voice and realizing who the entity was.  
  
The voice laughed. "You do not need to know 'how'. You need to know 'why'. I will guide you on your journey as long as I can. But for now, you must wake and continue. You have been unconscious for close to eight sun movements. Syaoran, you must continue. But be careful..."  
  
That was the last thing the Priestess told him in his dream. He slowly opened his eyes to find that his fire had gone out and a small layer of ice had formed on his clothes.  
  
Syaoran jumped up and started to knock the ice off his clothes and cursed himself. He could have died if he had stayed asleep much longer. He paused as he heard the wind howl from the front of the cave. Syaoran looked around the cave, trying to see if he could cram himself in any further, but it was too shallow for him to do much else. Shaking with the cold slightly, he added some more damp wood to the ashes and tried to relight it.  
  
After his third try with flint and granite, he thought he heard the voice of a young girl. Syaoran looked up and discovered that the storm had subsided and the mountainside was eerily quiet. He stopped hitting the two rocks together and listened for the voice, wondering if it was his imagination.  
  
"Help..." a faint voice cried. Syaoran, as if in a dream, rose up, strapped on his supplies, and left the shelter.  
  
"Please! Help me!" the voice called again. It came from Syaoran's left. He turned in the direction and walked through the snow, ignoring the cold. A small part of his mind registered that he should be more careful, but the strange feeling overrode it and he walked on. After what might have been an hour, he came upon a little girl sitting in the snow. Her face was as white as chalk and her lips were blue. She looked up at Syaoran.  
  
"Will you help me?" she asked him. She appeared to be no more than five.  
  
Syaoran nodded his head.  
  
The little girl smiled and stood up quickly. "Thank you!" she said. "I am lost and I cannot find my way home. Will you help me?"  
  
Syaoran nodded again.  
  
The girl giggled. "I think I came from over there," she said and pointed up the slope. She got up and ran in that direction. Syaoran failed to notice that she ran on top of the snow. She led Syaoran on for the rest of the day, sometimes backtracking, and never resting. Night fell and she still led him on, and Syaoran continued to follow her. His legs were screaming for rest, and sweat had frozen instantly on his skin, so that his hair was a frozen, matted mess and his shirt was frozen onto his body.  
  
The little girl turned around and smiled at Syaoran. "I think it is just a little bit farther," she said and pointed to a flat area. Syaoran numbly registered relief at reaching someplace safe and warm.  
  
They trudged through the snow a bit longer until they came upon a flat piece of land with a small, log house in the middle. Syaoran entered through the door and instantly felt the heat from the fire blazing in the fireplace. The girl stood at the entrance and stare at Syaoran as he warmed himself bye the fire. Her silver eyes flickered and the door opened behind her.  
  
A tall woman dressed in a long flowing white gown with hints of silver weaved through it came into the room. Syaoran did not notice and continued to warm himself.  
  
The lady looked to the girl and said into her mind. "Is this the one that seeks the diamond?"  
  
The girl nodded and disappeared in a wisp of air.  
  
"I see that you seek the warmth very greedily," the lady said in an airy tone.  
  
Syaoran turned his head to the voice that spoke to him and was surprised that it was not the little girl.  
  
"Where is the girl?" he croaked out, his voice seemed to be frozen in his throat.  
  
"She is fine," the lady replied.  
  
"Who are you?" Syaoran asked in a more firm tone.  
  
"Ahh... you have no patience I see," the lady replied amused. She laughed slightly.  
  
"I do not see what is so funny. Who are you?" Syaoran asked again.  
  
The lady smiled seductively. "Why, I am the Lady of the North, and I hear that you seek the thirteen jewels."  
  
Syaoran straightened and reached for the hilt of his sword.  
  
"Oh, I do so wish you would not make me hurt you. You are very handsome and I would hate to have to kill you," the Lady of the North said in a low, seductive voice.  
  
"I will not fall for you trickery witch, give me the jewel," Syaoran demanded.  
  
"Aww," the Lady said. "'Witch' is such a strong word. I prefer to be called 'enchanter.'"  
  
Syaoran glared and her and unsheathed his sword.  
  
"I shall warn you one more time," the Lady said, in a slightly sterner voice. "Sheathe your sword and you shall not be harmed."  
  
Syaoran paused, but then remembered Sakura and held out his sword in front of him.  
  
The woman glared at him and swept her hand out in a gesture of swatting a fly away. Syaoran's sword was knocked out of his grip and clattered onto the floor. Syaoran took a slight step back and the Lady smirked.   
  
"As I thought," she said. She gestured and a chair appeared behind Syaoran. "Sit down, she commanded.   
  
Syaoran stood where he was.   
  
The Lady stared at him. "Do not force me to make you sit," she said.   
  
Syaoran stared at her, than sat down in the chair slowly.  
  
"Now," the Lady said. She walked away from him and sat at a rough wooden table. "I understand that a certain Demon is running loose again." she smirked. "I was expecting this to happen."  
  
Syaoran started. "Did you do this?" he asked.  
  
"You mean break the seal on the Chest?" she tittered. "No, do not be silly. I have much better uses for my power than stealing petty trinkets."  
  
"Then, why do you have the Diamond of Ice in your possession?" Syaoran asked her.  
  
The Lady smirked. "It was returned to me," she said.  
  
Syaoran did not respond.  
  
The Lady looked at him. Her gaze was as cold and piercing as ice, and it made Syaoran slightly uncomfortable. "Leave this place now," she said, "and I will not kill you. Use your strength on running away to somewhere safe."  
  
A small fleck of understanding passed through Syaoran. "You are the one who is making the growing seasons worse," he said.  
  
The Lady laughed again. "I am honored that you think that, but no, it is not I. I do not posses the powers to throw nature completely off balance," she said.  
  
"No, but you can extend the length and bitterness of the winter months with the power the Diamond gives you," Syaoran said.  
  
"True," The Lady said. "I cannot cause droughts, of course."  
  
Syaoran did not respond. He was beginning to understand the full extent of the dispersal of the Gems. Anyone who had them could control the power they wielded, and if they already had powerful magic, the effect the jewel would have would be devastating.  
  
They sat in silence for a while. Syaoran finally warmed up and he could move his joints without much pain. "Who did remove the seal then?" he asked.  
  
The Lady only smiled. "Stay here for the remainder of the night," she said. "I will do you no harm."  
  
Syaoran stared at her, but could find no deception. Even though he was exhausted, he knew he could not stay. "No," he said. "I must have the Diamond. There is nothing else."  
  
The Lady screamed loudly. "You impudent fool! You dare disobey me?!"  
  
Syaoran took a slightly leaned backwards, this definitely was not the reaction he had expected, but now he knew what Tomoyo had meant when he should be very careful around her.  
  
"You WILL stay, before I decided to chop your head off here and now!" The Lady said, and bitterly spat on the ground.  
  
Syaoran stood up quickly never letting his eyes leave the Lady. He was not sure what she could do to him if he provoked her too much. "She may have other powers besides enchanting," he thought to himself.  
  
The Lady laughed coldly. "You cannot hide anything from me, boy. I can read all minds, and yes, I do have other abilities than just enchanting. For instance, I could have impaled you six times already, you move too slow and you are restrained by hidden feelings."  
  
Syaoran's eyes widened, as he stared at the woman— no, the thing that stood before him. It was no woman; it was a deadly creature, born of hatred and greed. The Lady of the North took a few steps towards Syaoran and he quickly reached for the hilt of his sword but remember that the Lady had knocked it out of his hands and now it lay helplessly on the floor next to the Lady. Syaoran cursed his luck and stared intently at the Lady.  
  
"Fine, if you wish the diamond so much, you will have to battle me for it. If I win, I get to keep you up here, trapped, and you will be my slave. If you win, I will give you the diamond, and I will bother you no longer. Do we have a deal?" the Lady asked and her cold and piercing gaze going straight through Syaoran's body.  
  
Now, Syaoran did not really have a choice in the matter. If he did not accept the deal, then he would be a slave to this thing and the Priestess would die. He could not just let the Priestess die, he had obligations to the villagers back home; and somehow... he felt that he had obligations to his heart to get the Priestess back. There was a void in his heart that he felt, little did he know, but there was a feeling that no enchanter such as the one before him, or mythical creature, could ever understand. A power that gave the beholder such strength that the most unlikely pairings in battle would be won easily. What was this power? It was simple really, but Syaoran did not understand it, the Priestess did not understand it, and surely, the Lady of the North did not understand it; it was love. Love would bring Syaoran back to the Priestess... Sakura, that name made his skin prickle and the heat rise to his face.  
  
"All right. You have a deal. If you win, I stay here and I will be your slave. If I win, I take the diamond and leave," Syaoran replied.  
  
The Lady of the North smirked. "You have three days to prepare yourself. When you are done, meet me at the peak of the mountain."  
  
"Wait," Syaoran said. "Where do I stay?"  
  
"Here, of course," the Lady said and glided out of the room.  
  
Syaoran sighed. It seemed as if his world were crashing down upon him and he did not know what to do. He walked over and picked up his sword and stared at it. He did not see how it could help him against the Lady. He sheathed it and sat down again, staring into the fire. He hoped he might get some sort of a vision. That happened to him sometimes when he stared into water or flames for a long period of time. However, his stomach did not intend to let him ponder the matter for much longer, because it gave a long and loud growl. He grimaced and looked around the room, and to his surprise, he saw a plate on the rough, wooden table filled with meat, cheese, and bread. He also saw a goblet of what was probably ale.  
  
He got up and walked over to the food. Syaoran stared at it for a while, not sure if he should trust it or not. After all, the Lady did want him as her pet. However, she had made a pact with him, and, he heard, magical beings kept pacts. He finally shrugged. "It's not like I'll be much better off starving," he said to himself and sat down to eat.  
  
~-~  
  
The three days passed quickly. Syaoran spent most of his time eating, pacing the room, and staring into the fire, wondering what he had gotten himself into. He was not able to go into a trance to receive a vision during this time because the butterflies in his stomach threatened to eat him from the inside out. He also had not received any significant dreams, other than nightmares in which the Lady slaughtered him, or in which Sakura was slaughtered by the Demon. In the afternoon of the third day, the Lady came to him again.  
  
"It is time," she said simply. She had decided to put another cloak of magic upon herself, because she appeared harmless and beautiful, like a nymph of the ice. Syaoran mused that there must not be many nymphs left because, magical beings or not, they could not stand the supreme cold of the mountains, or the fact that the Lady would have killed them and taken their power for her own.  
  
"Where will be fighting?" Syaoran dared to ask, as they trekked through the snow that had fallen the night before.  
  
"There is flat land at the peak of the mountain. That is where we will commence with the challenge for the Diamond," the Lady replied shortly.  
  
Syaoran watched the frozen trees as they continued to climb the mountain. It seemed to be hours of walking before the reached the peak. There was a lot less air up here and it took Syaoran several minutes to catch his breath, all the while the Lady smirked at him.  
  
"This will be easier than I thought," she mused to herself. "If he is affected by the altitude he shall fall quickly and become my pet."  
  
He limbs felt heavy as he tried to pick up his sword but dropped it and fell to his knees. There had to be a magical barrier around the peak of this mountain, there had to be. The wind picked up and the temperature dropped drastically.  
  
"Sakura..." Syaoran mouthed softly, and stood up swaying a bit on his feet.  
  
He hefted up his sword with both hands and took a stance. He would have to try his best, for if he died here then Sakura would die with that demon. The cold wind seared through his lungs as he took a deep breath to calm his nerves, but it only made it worse.  
  
A light laugh came across the wind. "You may make the first move, my dear pet."  
  
Syaoran ground his teeth as the Lady's voice came into his mind. With the wind it brought snow flurries and his vision was disrupted. He could no longer see the Lady, or for that matter, the cliff of the mountain. He cursed his luck quietly and stared into the snow, trying with all his might to see any shape that he could attack.  
  
The Lady watched Syaoran look around helplessly. She desperately wanted to attack him and get the fight over with; she had things to do. However, she had made a pact and must fulfill it.  
  
Syaoran thought he saw a shape, so, desperate for anything to happen, he attacked it.  
  
The Lady gasped and dodged Syaoran's sword. The boy was stronger than she thought he was if he was able to make out any shape at all in the storm.  
  
Syaoran, hearing the Lady's gasp, took heart and attacked the shape again. The shape moved, this time closer to him, as if to get in range for an attack. A few seconds later, he heard some muttered words and dodged to the right just in time to escape shards of ice that would have cut through his arm. Syaoran tripped and tumbled a few feet, then jumped up. To his surprise, his vision was clear.  
  
"So," the Lady said. "You have defeated my first attack."  
  
Syaoran did not say anything, but the Lady could tell what he was thinking. "Yes, my first attack was the storm." she made a sound of disgust. "You are obviously strong enough to have seen me though it, so I dismissed it, for it was wasting my energy." She smiled maliciously. "You will be a entertaining spirit to break."  
  
Syaoran gritted his teeth and hefted his sword up, ready for whatever happened next.  
  
The Lady spoke a few more words quietly and she seemed to vanish into thin air.  
  
"He will never see me until after I attack," the Lady thought to herself and laughed.  
  
Syaoran caught her soft laugh over the wind and closed his eyes. If he could channel is aura into a ring around himself, it would bounce off anything that was unseen to his real eyes. And if there was anything around him, he could attack it. Slowly but surely, is aura bounced off an object and Syaoran swung. It hit true and the Lady cried out in pain as blood seeped through the gash in her arm.  
  
"Curse you, you have defeated my second attack," the Lady hissed. "Though you are fast and able, you will never defeat that last of my attacks."  
  
Syaoran stared at the Lady with cold and uncompassionate eyes and the Lady shuddered under the gaze.  
  
"There is something familiar about him," the Lady thought. "Useless thoughts, you will win and he will fail, and then he shall be yours; forever."  
  
Syaoran dug his feet into the soft snow that lay on the ground to give him better footing for the attack. So far the Lady had used the forces of nature and invisibility on him. So he assumed that the next one would be a direct attack, the kind that he was best at. The kind that had won him the praises back home.  
  
The Lady stared at him and his ready posture. She had a moment of despair and listlessness before she pulled herself together again. She raised her pale arms up into the air and opened her hands, palm up, towards the heavens. A giant ice crystal materialized and grew above her head.  
  
Syaoran shifted his grip on his sword. It looked as if he was going to have to dodge the full blow and try to destroy her attacks from the side.  
  
The Lady released the crystal. It shot towards Syaoran, leaving no room to avoid the attack. With all his strength, Syaoran held his sword up in front of him, bracing the tip with his left hand, his right hand on the hilt. He braced himself for impact. To his surprise, and that of the Lady's, fire lanced out, hitting the ice head-on and melting it.  
  
The Lady gasped and stepped back. "How?"  
  
Syaoran glared at her. "You do not need to know anything except that your fight is futile. Give me the diamond and you shall live."  
  
The Lady stared at him imperiously. "Fine," she snapped. She reached for her waist and pulled off a girdle. Syaoran was slightly surprised; he had never seen it on her before. The Lady laughed bitterly. "Yes, you have never seen it because I keep enchantments on it. The diamond is dear to me." She paused. "Come with me, boy," she said. "Your power is great and it could be greater with me at your side." She cocked her head. "We can get the Priestess back. She would be all yours," she said.  
  
Syaoran briefly imagined himself with the Lady, and the Priestess. He imagined what it would be like to have her, to hold her, to keep her. He shook his head slightly. She would be miserable, if she was allowed to keep her mind, and if not, a puppet.  
  
"No?" the Lady asked. "Fine. Come and get the gem." She held the girdle out in front of her.  
  
Syaoran slowly stepped forward and grasped the jewelry. The instant he touched it, searing pain lanced up his arm and filled his body; his consciousness. Through the haze, he could hear the Lady laughing, before he slipped into blackness.  
  
It was completely black where he was. He knew that, but he could not force himself to awaken. There was something in this blackness; something waiting for him.  
  
"Syaoran..." a soft voice came across the darkness.  
  
He felt his hear shatter. There was pain in that voice, a lot of pain.  
  
"Syaoran, it was a trap..." the voice said again.  
  
"I know that now..." Syaoran thought.  
  
"Why did you not see it Syaoran? Because of this, because of you I am dying," the soft voice suddenly became utterly harsh. "It is all your fault!"  
  
"No, no it is not!" Syaoran's thoughts shouted back.  
  
"I tried to believe in you Syaoran. I tried. But, of course, my trust has been broken once again. You failed me Syaoran, and now, I am the one dying," the voice explained monotonously.  
  
Suddenly, the voice screamed in horror and there was the sound of flesh being ripped and the scream turned into muddled gurgles.  
  
"SAKURA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Syaoran's thought screamed. "No! Please! Come back! Please... please come back...."  
  
"She is gone," a dark voice said happily. "And she was very tasty. I guess I have you to thank for that."  
  
He felt like a child again. A helpless child that just witnessed his only friend be slaughtered. A child, who cannot go on without that friend, a child whose soul was tied to that soul. He cried, just like a child. He called for his mother uselessly. A child who is slowly killing itself with the pain that it cannot let go of. And he continued to cry; like a child.  
  
Suddenly, a soothing voice spoke. "It is alright, Syaoran," it cooed.  
  
Syaoran stopped crying to listen, although, he was still in pain.  
  
"You do not ever have to listen to anything like that again. You do not even have to remember," the voice said. "You know of what I speak."  
  
Syaoran did not say anything; he only bent his head down again and continued to cry again.  
  
~-~  
  
He had been alone for a while. He had stopped crying a while ago, too, but he was still hurt. His thoughts turned to Sakura. Her haunting eyes, her calm demeanor, her beautiful face, her kindness... He could go on forever describing everything about her. It was then that he truly realized that he loved her, and would do anything to help her. His mind turned back to her last words with him, and to the sound of her death. He started to weep again. Suddenly, a thought appeared. He started to remember her accusations and her hate-filled voice. All of his memories of her in the village did not seem to be the Sakura that had just died... what was it.... minutes ago? Hours? Days? He could not tell. It did not matter. All he could remember was the kindness of the Priestess, the calm and patient presence. He started to think. Would Sakura have blamed him for her death? Maybe, but he did not think she would tell him. Would she have hated him? No, he did not think that also. She did not seem capable of hate. Somehow, she seemed beyond that.  
  
Suddenly, he could sense his surroundings. He was on cold, hard stone. It was dark, but not the same darkness he was just in. This was... tangible. Syaoran sat up; he realized he was curled up into a ball, and wiped his tear-streaked face. He then reached out to try to touch something, and hit cold stone.  
  
"Lady of the North!!" He bellowed. "I have an answer for you!! It is no! Never!"  
  
There was no response. Suddenly, there was something cool, smooth, and hard in his hand. Though he could not see it, he knew what it was: the diamond. He had beaten the Lady of the North. The hard stone floor disappeared and Syaoran felt around on the ground. He was blind, though, he knew that his eyesight would come back. He was now sitting on a patch of cool, damp grass, and the sound of water rushing by filled his ears.  
  
"You are at the River Severen," an airy voice came down through the breeze. "You won my challenge skillfully, and I hope that, like the one before you, you use that jewel to save the Priestess... only this time, I hope that you two can be together; like he wanted it to be."  
  
Syaoran just listened. He knew it was the Lady of the North, and he knew that he won, the only thing that was unclear to him, was what she just said. Who was this other person that had beaten her before? But he did not ask, he just sat there, blindly staring at the river that was before him.  
  
His limbs ached and he was extremely tired, but he knew that he had to move on. But his body would not let him and he slowly drifted to sleep, he tried to fight it but his fight was futile. Though he knew that if he tried to stay awake he would not be able to continue, so he let hi body win, and fell into a deep slumber.  
  
~-~  
  
He was visited again in his dream, but this time, it was not all black. He seemed to be in a field of flowers, not unlike the one that he was in when the Priestess was captured. He wondered lazily if he would ever get a rest in which he didn't have to go anywhere. Syaoran didn't really mind anyways; it was peaceful there, and he felt happy.  
  
"It is nice here, is it not?" A woman's voice said from behind him.  
  
Syaoran spun around, and saw Sakura sitting on the ground, playing with a flower chain. She was wearing what she had worn when she had been abducted.   
  
"How?"  
  
Sakura smiled at him. "I suppose you still think that the last dream you had was reality."  
  
Syaoran did not say anything; he only stared at her.  
  
"Well, I will not patronize you, but I am a bit disappointed in you." She gave a mischievous smile. "I am not THAT mean."  
  
Syaoran did not smile back.  
  
"Ok, I am sorry," Sakura said sheepishly and stood up. She walked over to him and put the flower chain around his neck. "Cheer up! You got the first jewel, and I am not dead!" No matter how happy she sounded, though, the unspoken "yet" lingered about their silence.  
  
"Yes, you are right," Syaoran spoke for the first time.   
  
Sakura smiled at him. "Shall we walk?" she started to move in the direction of a small grove of woods.  
  
"Why did the Lady of the North just send me away?" Syaoran said, hurrying a bit to catch up.  
  
"I do not know," Sakura said dreamily.   
  
"She was talking about something strange," he said, pressing the matter. "Something about another man, and another Priestess. And the man, he could not be with the Priestess; no matter how much he wanted to. And, something about using the stone to help her."  
  
"WOW!" Sakura skipped in front of him and turned to look at him, walking backwards so that she could do so. "You CAN speak more than three words at one time! You can even speak three sentences at one time!"  
  
Syaoran glared at her. Sakura smiled back. They stared at each other for a minute, before realizing that they were staring, and looking away quickly.  
  
"Well," Sakura said. "There was a priestess a long, long time ago, that was in love with a prince." She thought for a minute. "I know that they could not be with each other, but there is nothing in the legends about a stone." She pointed to her circlet. "It is how the Priestesses got this."  
  
Syaoran nodded. "Well, if it is legend, then we never know what really happened."   
  
Sakura nodded. "True." She grinned at him. "Well, you have to go find that chest next... unless you want to rush in and capture me."  
  
Syaoran grimaced. "Which would be better? And, how long can you survive?"  
  
"I can last as long as I need to." Sakura said. "Most of the power that comes from the pendant is the will to live."  
  
Syaoran nodded. "He is not torturing you, is he?"  
  
Sakura paused.  
  
"He is," Syaoran said.  
  
"Well, he is not torturing me physically," Sakura replied slowly.  
  
"Torture is torture," Syaoran added bitterly.  
  
Sakura sighed. "Just do what you need to do. I can last."  
  
Syaoran turned to face her and took her hand. "I do not want you to be in pain."  
  
"Well, if it is what is needed, then so be it." Sakura said firmly. "Get the Chest first," she said.  
  
"But - "  
  
Sakura cut him off. "No buts. You will get the Chest first. I will be fine. Do not worry about me." She smiled up at him again, looking into his eyes. She then reached up and touched them. Syaoran closed his lids in reflex. "You will need your sight sooner than it shall come back," she said.   
  
~-~  
  
Suddenly, Syaoran was awake again. This time, though, he could see. He was in the forested region by the river. He looked at the sky and realized that it was about noon. He stood up and checked that everything was there, including the gem. After he made sure that everything was there, he started off along the bank of the stream. Only a few minutes had passed until he realized that he had forgotten to ask where the Chest was located in the first place.  
  
WOO HOOO!! Our second chapter is done!! Yayay!  
  
-Naoko  
  
I know! I feel so spezzial!  
  
-Sakura  
  
*Holds up Syaoran's sword* review or I shall eat you.  
  
-Naoko  
  
What's the Sword for?  
  
-Sakura  
  
. GIVE THAT BACK!  
  
-Syaoran  
  
YAY! *jumps on Syaoran*  
  
-Sakura  
  
I wish Legato was here...  
  
-Naoko  
  
If they owned CCS, It would be the worst manga in the world.  
  
-Kuri-chan  
  
We heard that...  
  
-Sakura and Naoko  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well, there doesn't appear to be any references in this chapter other than the fact that time is told by "suns" (days) "seasons" (years) and moons (months). For possible future reference, since the ancient Celts referred to months by the cycles of the moon, there are thirteen months, instead of twelve. Hence, thirteen is a holy number in their mythology. WOW! 


	3. The Witch of the Forest

I awoke from my dream with Syaoran feeling happy and somewhat giddy. I had a feeling in my heart, I did not tell Syaoran, but it was that feeling that would keep me going; that feeling that would keep the demon from killing me. It came again, that pungent smell, I did not understand why, but the demon did not seem as if he wanted to kill me, he kept bringing me food. I was very confused. I cursed quietly under my breath as I thought about what the Lady of the North put Syaoran through in that dream; and then what Syaoran said about that other man and the other priestess. I had believed I knew all about the chest and the jewels, but it appeared that I did not. I sighed deeply, this would take a bit longer than I expected. Half of me wanted to have the demon kill me and get it over with, but another half of me longed to be held by Syaoran. I blushed, what was going on in my head?  
  
----  
  
Syaoran followed the path of the stream until the sun went down over the mountains and then he set up camp. The sound of the river was soothing, it reminded him of Sakura. He wanted to hold her, to help push away the memories of the demon; he wanted to know what it was like to know her as a person rather than a priestess.  
  
He stared down at his reflection in the water; he was a little pale, he had not had any decent food since he had stayed at the Lady of the North's cottage. He shuddered as he remembered what she had wanted him to do. He looked back at the water and he saw the priestess face when the demon had kidnapped her.  
  
"Why?" he asked the air. "Why did I just stand there?"  
  
"Because if you had attempted to save her you would have been ripped to shreds," his conscience replied.  
  
He sighed and walked up the small rise to his camp. It was not much; just a small gathering of leaves pushed together forming a bed and a small fire. It was relatively warm near the river, which was a surprise because he was still near the Frozen North. He settled down to sleep but found none. As he lay there he looked up into the sky, asking over and over again, the question that he had not asked the Priestess. Where was the chest?  
  
The stars started to reel in the sky and Syaoran sat up suddenly, watching closely. The formed a mountain range, encircled by a desert. It clicked. The chest was in the Southern Mountains; the desert, and the people that lived in the desert surrounded the mountain range. Desert, wasteland, sun, dirt, he would need a vast amount of water. It clicked again. The River Severen was the only fresh water river. The Lady of the North, though she was angry with him, had helped him with his journey. She knew where the chest was, though 'how' was a different subject.  
  
Syaoran sighed and lay back down again. He resolved to find some food in the morning and maybe get some fir for trading so that he could get proper supplies in the town that sat outside of the desert. He could not remember the name for his life, though. Syaoran vaguely wondered why before he fell asleep.  
  
----  
  
The next morning, Syaoran got up slowly and stiffly. It had been a while since he had actually slept on the ground; being cooped up in a dungeon did not count; and he was sorry that he had not brought a bedroll. He sighed, reasoning that he could either get a room in the city or get used to sleeping on the ground. He then climbed a tree and hid all his equipment except for his sword, and set out to go hunting.  
  
Hunting did not go as well as planned, he had caught very little and it only temporarily quenched his hunger. After he had eaten what he had caught he packed up his campsite and set out once again to follow the stream.  
  
"Sakura, stay safe... I will rescue you," he said out into the air.  
  
"Are you sure about that?" a voice came from a group of bushes near the water's edge.  
  
Syaoran drew his sword. "Who is there?"  
  
"Put your sword away, I will not hurt you. Do all of your kind assume that anyone, or anything, that approaches them is set out to destroy you?" the voice asked.  
  
"Answer my question first," Syaoran said.  
  
"Impatient are we. Ah well, as you wish," the voice said.  
  
The bushes shuddered and a lean figure stepped out. "My name is Takano. I am of the river folk here. Though, I seem to have lost my way back to my village. Would you mind if I went along with you for a while?"  
  
Syaoran stared at the figure. Its ears were pointed, its skin held a soft blue hue to it, and its hands were webbed.  
  
"Are you by chance related to the mermaids?" Syaoran asked slowly putting his sword down.  
  
"Oh heavens no, mermaids are such tricky creatures. We, the river folk, are much kinder and honest. To tell you the truth, it was a mermaid that led me here and then vanished." Takano explained. "Mermaids enjoy leading unsuspecting creatures to their doom."  
  
"Dare I ask?" Syaoran thought.  
  
"I hear that you are out to rescue the Priestess Sakura," Takano said.  
  
"Yes, I am," Syaoran answered.  
  
"Then I regret to inform you that the mermaids hold one of the thirteen jewels that you need," Takano said and looked at Syaoran with sparkling sea- green eyes.  
  
Syaoran did not answer for a while only turned and started to walk towards his destination. After a while, he asked, "Do you have any tips for me, then?"  
  
Takano pursed his lips. "Merfolk value cunning and intelligence. Physical strength and determination mean little to them unless it is coupled along with wisdom. Beware: they will not give the jewel up willingly."  
  
Syaoran nodded. He walked on. "I'm afraid I do not think that I am very intelligent," he mused. He then sighed. "Maybe the Priestess will help me, as she has done before...."  
  
Takano shrugged. "If she has helped you before, she most likely will do again. That is, until she starts to grow weaker..."  
  
Syaoran looked at him quickly. "Weaker?  
  
"Good and evil are always battling each other," Takano said. He was thinking. "When two strong sources are with each other, each strives to outdo the other. However," he continued, "the Demon's powers are much stronger than the Priestess's." He held up a hand to Syaoran's protest. "Young warrior," he said, "no power is as strong as the Demon, except for the creator gods, and they do not walk the earth."  
  
"Sakura is the embodiment of Bridgit," Syaoran said, slightly sulkily and defensively.  
  
"Embodiment or not," Takano said, "The Demon is a creator god cast out from the heavens. No mere human can kill him, only seal him away."  
  
"Then Sakura and I will seal it away then," Syaoran replied.  
  
Takano sighed. There was no getting through to this warrior, he was very determined and it appeared that he was not thinking very clearly.  
  
"Do you have the Chest?" Takano asked.  
  
Syaoran did not reply.  
  
"I say, do you have the Chest?" Takano asked and put a webbed hand on Syaoran's shoulder.  
  
"No! No, I do not have the Chest, I was on my way there right now," Syaoran replied a bit haughtily.  
  
Takano put his hands up defensively. "I am sorry that I asked."  
  
"No no, I am the one that should be sorry. Your news of the Demon's strength has discouraged me from my journey," Syaoran replied.  
  
Syaoran slowed his pace down and stopped by a small cove.  
  
"We will rest here for now," Syaoran explained. "It is getting late and I am not good with directions when it is dark."  
  
Takano nodded and sat down on a rock with his webbed feet in the water.  
  
"I say, the village that I belong to has... been a bit upset with me lately. Would you mind if I accompanied you on your journey?"  
  
"If you are up for a journey through the desert," Syaoran replied.  
  
Takano looked down into the water that his feet were in. Syaoran looked at him intently. He did not mean to change the creatures mind, he just was not sure if he could take the journey through the desert. In all actuality, Syaoran wanted the creatures company. There was something about him that Syaoran was drawn to. He could not really pinpoint what it was, but he offered a presence that Syaoran enjoyed.  
  
"I believe I can do it. I am a bit of a magic user myself, I can create water when I need to," Takano replied.  
  
Syaoran smiled at the creature.  
  
"Very well then, I am Syaoran," Syaoran replied. "It is good to have your company, I deeply appreciate it."  
  
Takano smile back. "Now, I am not sure about you, but I am ravished."  
  
Syaoran stretched. "I hope you are a better hunter than I am, my friend," he said. "I have not been very successful."  
  
Takano looked up at Syaoran, then back at the water. "I think I can manage to get some food. You stay here and start a fire." With that the water creature dove into the river and disappeared with an expert kick of his legs.  
  
Syaoran sighed and looked around him. "I suppose I will have to start gathering firewood," he said.  
  
Two hours and several fish later, Syaoran and Takano sat by the fire, Syaoran notably closer than the river-man.  
  
"Why is your village upset with you?" Syaoran asked him. "If you do not mind answering, that is."  
  
"I do not," Tanako said. "I was always a curious person," he said, after a pause. "This time I found out something that I was not supposed to, and let it slip."  
  
"I see," Syaoran said, imagining the endless things Takano could have found out.  
  
Takano sighed. "It is a long walk to the town ahead," he said. "We should get some sleep."  
  
"That sounds fine to me," Syaoran said. "Who should take the first watch?"  
  
"I will," Takano said.  
  
Syaoran nodded and rolled himself up in his cloak, and fell immediately into sleep.  
  
----  
  
They set out about half an hour after dawn, deciding to eat later in the day, once they were closer to their destination. The walk was silent and swift, as the land by the river Severen was flat and not too spongy. They had fish again for breakfast, resolving to try to get some proper food in town by doing menial tasks. Takano offered to stop by his village and collect his money, but Syaoran declined, observing that it was better to stay away from a large group of people who were angry with him. So, the two arrived in the river town penniless and very hungry.  
  
"Excuse me," Syaoran asked the first person he saw as soon as they got into the establishment. "What is the name of this town?"  
  
The person, a young man a few years younger than Syaoran told him that it was called Meviran.  
  
"Meviran," Syaoran mused as they walked away. "The name is so familiar..."  
  
"I understand that it is a key trading point," Takano said. "It is a bit strange that the town is not bigger than it is."  
  
Syaoran nodded and looked around him. The town was obviously wealthy; he did not see very many shabbily dressed people. Perhaps they discouraged people moving in. The two men headed for the docks, knowing that a few extra pairs of hands would be helpful. They found work easily, as a ship was unloading at the docks, preparing to take on a shipment of goods from the nearby desert. Syaoran found the sailors to be fairly talkative and was involved in several conversations, unlike Takano, who was fairly shy and self-conscious. However, he was not an uncommon sight in the town, so most people did not look at him twice.  
  
"Ye hear about the kidnapped priestess?" one sailor asked Syaoran.  
  
"I hear she was a village princess," another man popped into the conversation.  
  
"She was a priestess!" the first sailor insisted. "She was captured by that demon!"  
  
"Yeah, sure," the second one said skeptically.  
  
Syaoran was silent, guilt filling up his body. He hoped that it was not seeping into his face.  
  
"Anyways," the first sailor continued on, this time to Syaoran, "Some shaman up th' river was pretty concerned about it. Said that this priestess was starting to break already, and if the demon ate her, all would be over."  
  
Syaoran dropped the load he was carrying, his face turning white. "Already starting to break?" he whispered.  
  
Takano turned to him, concerned. "Are you alright, Syaoran?" he asked.  
  
"'ey! What was that all about?" the sailor demanded.  
  
"How do you know?" Syaoran asked him urgently. "How do you know this?"  
  
The sailor looked taken aback. "Well, this priestess is pretty famous. Most powerful on this side of the sea."  
  
"Oh, gods," Syaoran said and put a hand to his forehead.  
  
"Do ye know her?" The sailor enquired.  
  
Syaoran did not reply. He only muttered something about wasting time.  
  
The sailor looked to Takano with curiosity written all over his face.  
  
"Ahh....," Takano replied. "Well... Syaoran is the nobleman's son and he is on a journey to rescue the priestess."  
  
The sailor's eyes widened. "Ye... yer a nobleman's son? Why did ye not tell us? We would have just given ye the money if we knew ye were out to save the priestess."  
  
Syaoran, once again, did not respond.  
  
"Syaoran, if you are not going to continue working, I suggest we move on. If what they say is true, we really need to get to the priestess before getting the next jewel," Takano suggested.  
  
"Ey, Syaoran, take this," the sailor said and dropped a medium sized pouch into his hand.  
  
"No, I cannot take this," he replied, trying to give the money back.  
  
"I ain't gonna take it back. Now, get goin'" the sailor said and took a few steps away from Syaoran.  
  
Syaoran looked at the sailor with a small smile on his face. He said his "thank yous" to the sailors and then left the docks.  
  
"Takano, after we get the Priestess back, we need to get the chest," Syaoran said.  
  
Takano nodded. "I say, where does this demon reside?"  
  
"In the mountains to the west of my village," Syaoran replied.  
  
"How far did you travel when you arrived near the river?" Takano asked.  
  
"I am not sure. I had traveled to the Witch of the North to fight for one of the jewels, then she transported me to the river," Syaoran explained. "But, I had a dream with the priestess in it and see appeared fine."  
  
"Perhaps she appeared to you fine, because that was they way you last saw; in perfect health," Takano suggested.  
  
Syaoran moaned is depression. "How could I have been so stupid? I should have gone after the demon the night it too Sakura, whether I came back alive or not."  
  
"Syaoran, do not say that," Takano said and placed a webbed hand on his shoulder, "it is not your fault that she was taken."  
  
"Oh, but it is! I just stood there, watching the demon take her away," Syaoran replied, his mood getting ever more gloomy by the minute.  
  
"Buck up," Takano said. "The situation is not going to get any better if you obsess over it."  
  
Syaoran nodded, but did not change his expression.  
  
"Do you know your way to the village from here?" Takano asked him.  
  
Syaoran paused in his walking and considered. "Not exactly. We might as well buy a map, if we have to go anywhere that is farther than either of us has traveled."  
  
Takano nodded. "Makes sense to me," he said. "Now to find a map."  
  
After questioning several townsfolk, the two were able to obtain a decent map for only a few copper pennies. Before they left the village, they poured over the map, finding the Demon's den and tracing the best route from where they were to it. Syaoran did not want to stop back at his village, for he feared to loose any time.  
  
"What do you plan to do when you get to this den?" Takano asked Syaoran, a few days after they had been traveling.  
  
Syaoran's dreams of taking Sakura to safety were suddenly shattered as he was faced with the reality of the situation. "I.... do not know," he said, disappointed at his lack of insight.  
  
"Well, we had better make a plan soon!" Takano said.  
  
Syaoran sighed. "You really do not have to go with me to the den," he said. "It is extremely dangerous, and you really have no reason to risk your life."  
  
"Ahh, but I do!" Takano said. "I have decided that you are my friend. I won't let you go into danger alone. Anyways, if this Demon is really as terrible as everyone says he is, we can't let him rampage for long, can we?"  
  
Syaoran smiled slightly. "You are right," he sighed. "Now, how do we go about defeating a demon that can't be defeated?" he asked, his voice light.  
  
Takano pondered that. "Well, I have a bit of an idea," he said slowly. "If you do not mind taking a detour..."  
  
"How long will it last?" Syaoran asked.  
  
"A few days," Takano said. "But, I think that it will be worth it."  
  
Takano changed their course a few degrees south from their original northwest route. On the way, he told Syaoran what would help him out so much. They were headed for the Great Wood, the only forest left in the land in which spirits called the trees home. It was no small forest, either. It spanned for thousands of miles to the south from its northernmost point and was at least three hundred-or-so miles wide. It was rumored that the Forest God roamed there still, watching the trees and keeping the magic alive. It was the only place in which the Demon could not enter. However, Takano had discovered a ghost in there, one who had been a powerful witch in her life, and still retained her powers. He did not know her name, but he promised Syaoran that the witch would help in every way that she could.  
  
The first day of their journey, Syaoran was not absolutely sure they should take this long of a detour, but he did trust Takano. And if it would help him battle the demon and get Sakura away easier then he would do anything that was possible.  
  
That night, Syaoran did not sleep. He could only think about Sakura's safety and whether or not she was lying somewhere already dead and the demon was coming upon her to eat her. Whenever sleep he did get, whether it be during short breaks that they took in their journey for food and such, was plagued by nightmares. Even though the priestess had told Syaoran that what the witch put into his head about her blaming him for his death was a lie, he still could not push it from his mind. He asked himself again why he just stood there and watched at the demon took Sakura away, and again his conscious told him that he would have died.  
  
He sat up and looked into the sky. Everywhere he looked he saw Sakura's face, he could not get away from it. He prayed and prayed that she would be all right and that nothing ill fated would befall her before he had the chance to get her out of the demon's den. He thought about all the situations that the demon could put them in, from threatening to kill Sakura that instant to making himself kill her. Every possible action that he could take was to charge at the demon at any open angle.  
  
The sun started to rise and Takano woke up and looked at Syaoran.  
  
"Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked, looking at Syaoran with a worried face.  
  
Syaoran shook his head. "We had best be going now, we need to cover as much ground as possible."  
  
Takano rose up quickly and gathered the few supplies that they had.  
  
"If we continue heading in this direction," Takano said, "we should be at the forest by midday tomorrow."  
  
Syaoran nodded and strapped his sword to his side. A day and a half; if Sakura was starting to break as he had heard from the sailor, then she might not last that long, but if this witch could help him save her, it was worth delaying her rescue.  
  
Takano looked at Syaoran wearily. He knew that this journey was taking a toll on Syaoran's emotions. So far he had seen almost every aspect of Syaoran's emotions, except for happiness. He had seen anger; he had seen sadness, depression, and most of all, guilt. What was he supposed to do to convince Syaoran that he was not at fault for the Priestess's capture? Would he have to leave that part up to the priestess herself? He feared that was what he had to do, but in the mean time, he was going to try any means to cheer Syaoran up. But his attempts so far had resulted in failure.  
  
As they continued, the sun bore down on them, making the whole landscape appear to be covered in water from the heat waves.  
  
"It is much too warm for spring, is it not Takano?" Syaoran asked.  
  
"Spring? It is not spring Syaoran, it is the beginning of summer," Takano replied, a bit confused.  
  
Syaoran stopped walking. "It is summer already? When... how... oh gods." Syaoran put a hand to his forehead and grimaced. "Sakura has been with that demon for four months now, no wonder she is starting to break! Takano, we must hurry, the Witch of the North kept me far longer than I had realized. I had thought that I only left my village a week ago."  
  
Syaoran began walking again and quickened his pace and Takano followed after him.  
  
The realization that four months had passed instead of about a week shattered Syaoran's hopes. He had wondered why Sakura was breaking so easily, he had thought she would be stronger than to start failing after a few days in captivity. Now he knew that she was strong enough to resist the Demon for a while. He cursed himself again, wondering how horrible it was for her to be trapped there for four months. Once again, her capture paraded before his mind's eye, and guilt washed over him. He did not even bother to compare his capture with Sakura's; he could not place them together in his mind, it seemed too selfish to him. He only began to berate himself on not trying to escape sooner.  
  
Tanako noticed Syaoran's expression getting to be more and more dismal. "Buck up!" he said and clapped his friend on the back. "There was not anything you could do. I'm surprised you even got away from the Ice Witch, from what I have heard about her."  
  
Syaoran shook his head. "I could have tired harder," he whispered. The young man quickened his pace.  
  
"Hold on a minute," Takano cried. "Do not go hurrying in this heat! It is foolish!"  
  
Syaoran was going to ignore him until he remembered who was speaking to him. It was a friend, who did not deserve to go through all of this. He slowed down to let Takano catch up to him.  
  
"Do not worry," the river-man assured Syaoran. "The woods will be much cooler and we can go as fast as you like then."  
  
Syaoran nodded and returned to his thoughts.  
  
The next day the two arrived at the forest. It was obviously ancient, for the trees in it were much larger than Syaoran had ever seen. Takano was not impressed, however, for he had traveled to the forest many times. A few yards away, they could hear a stream tinkling merrily along.  
  
"Ahh, water!" Takano cried. He hurried forward towards the sound. "Water is always sweeter when it travels through the Great Forest!"  
  
Syaoran doubted this, but, then again, he was no water creature, so he hurried to catch up with his friend. He found Takano splashing happily in the water, sitting down to immerse himself as far as he could in the small stream. Syaoran smiled and pulled off his boots, sticking them in the stream. His feet were covered with scars and calluses, and remnants of popped blisters. He had never traveled this distance before, and most certainly never at the speed they had been traveling.  
  
"I say, food would be nice right now!" Takano said.  
  
Syaoran nodded and pulled his pack off of his shoulder and rummaged through it, bringing out some bread and cheese.  
  
Takano took his share and gobbled it down. Syaoran smiled. His friend had been displaying quite an appetite for the several days they were traveling together, but he never complained about the small portions that they had to eat. Syaoran had to eat less than he usually did, but, after he found out that Sakura was in danger, his appetite had decreased significantly. Takano had noticed this, no doubt, for whenever they stopped, he ordered Syaoran to eat something, which, depending on how much he ate, went anywhere from three to five times a day. However, Syaoran felt a bit better now that they were in the forest, and he ate his entire portion easily.  
  
Takano sighed happily and wiggled his webbed toes. "It is going to be a wrench leaving this stream," he said.  
  
Syaoran said nothing. He had long since given up trying to convince Takano to leave him at a safe place. He stared back at his submerged feet, and enjoying the feel of the cool water running over them.  
  
At the tree line a white form shimmered into the image of a girl in what looked to be her early twenties. Neither Syaoran, nor Takano noticed her. The ghost floated out to them and stood behind Syaoran, examining the two people that had come into her forest.  
  
"Takano? Is that you?" the ghost asked.  
  
Syaoran jumped and turned around, unsheathing his sword in the process.  
  
Takano looked up. "Ahh, hello hello! Syaoran, put your sword away, this is the witch I was telling you about."  
  
The witch peered at Syaoran closer. "Syaoran...?"  
  
Syaoran looked at the witch and slowly lowered his sword. The ghost before him sent a tingle down his spine. She looked so familiar to him but he could have sworn that he had never seen this person before, dead or alive.  
  
"Ahh... Miss Witch, we were wondering if you could help us with a task that has been set up us," Takano said.  
  
The ghost turned to Takano. "I will do my best to help you. What is it that has been placed upon you?"  
  
"A very powerful village priestess was captured by a demon and is being held in its den. We have received some news that she is beginning to break and we are heading in the direction now to rescue her," Takano explained.  
  
"If there is anyway you can help us, we would be very grateful," Syaoran added.  
  
The spirit turned to Syaoran. "I am afraid, that there is nothing I can do for the priestess directly."  
  
Syaoran fell to his knees, he knew this spirit would not help them, and they had just wasted two days in getting her that could have been towards rescuing Sakura from the demon.  
  
The witch looked down at Syaoran. "There is one thing that I can do for you. I can awaken a power you have sleeping in your body, it is directly tied to your sword. I can sense that you have used it once before but have not mastered it."  
  
Syaoran looked up into the spirits face. The fire that lanced down his arms, that was the power of the sword? How could he have not have seen that when the witch was startled?  
  
The spirit glided over to Syaoran and put her hand on his face. They were cold, like that of the Frozen North that he had fought in. He slightly recoiled but the witch pulled him back to his original place.  
  
"You must remain still," the witch commanded and closed her eyes. "Agor 'ch dendio a 'ch asgre. Cerdd 'r cerrynt chan yn dysgu, achos heb yn dysgu mae na adnabyddiaeth, a ag adnabyddiaeth comes allu."   
  
Syaoran felt something open in his body, he felt a serge of warmth, coldness, wetness, and dryness; but as soon as the witch let go of his face it all disappeared.  
  
"You will have to learn how to master it on your own, but I have awakened you your mind and body to it. That is all I am able to do for you and I wish you the best of luck on your journey," she said and disappeared.  
  
The Witch's Incantation translation:  
  
Open your mind and your heart. Walk the road of learning, for without learning there is no knowledge, and with knowledge comes power."  
  
This incantation is in Welsh.  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Sakura: Whoosh!!!! Look at that! Finally chappy 3 is released!  
  
Naoko: Yeah, it only took us over 4 months to get it out!  
  
Kuri-chan: You guys are really slow typers...  
  
Sakura: sweatdrops Uh... that's not why it took so long...  
  
Naoko: Heh....   
  
Kuri-chan: Then what was the reason?  
  
Sakura: quickly binds and gags the cat Well, we'll see you next time!  
  
Naoko: Though Kuri-chan may not be joining us.... glares at the cat while setting up a large alter with manacles  
  
Kuri-chan: =oo!!!=  
  
Sakura: laughs evilly  
  
Naoko: chains the cat up and grabs a feather AHHAHAHAHHAH! 


	4. To the Demon's Den

I closed my eyes. It was getting harder and harder to fight the Demon off when he came to try to devour me, which he had just attempted once again. I opened my mouth to breathe through it. Once again, I wished I had my runes with me; I could last longer with them. The stench of the Demon was dissipating; I have been in here for so long that I no longer notice it unless he comes to me. I have lost all track of time, and know that it is night for that is when the Demon comes to me. Sometimes he paws at me, an almost mournful expression in his eyes, but most of the time he simply tries to kill me. My pendant is growing weaker; this time it almost failed me. I haven't had much energy, either. Briefly Syaoran flashes through my mind, and I hold onto the image the best I can. I have long since given up hope in him. It pains me to think this, but I can see no way that he will be able to rescue me with the Demon here. I only wish I could see him one last time before I can no longer fight back...

---

Syaoran was still lost in thought, staring at his sword, long after the ghost witch had left. Takano left him in peace, wondering once in a while what he was thinking. After an hour he wandered down the stream, searching for fish. He did not think that Syaoran would actually leave him, but he did not wander too far, just in case.

Syaoran had no idea how he would pull the power out of his sword. The last time he had done it, it was in desperation, and he had no power over it. "Open your mind and your heart," she had said. His mind wandered briefly. He knew that the witch was old; she used a language that had died out a long time ago, and was kept alive by both the Priestesses and village chieftains. It was regarded as a sacred language, one meant to cast extremely powerful spells. Syaoran made himself come back to the present again, and focused his eyes on his sword. It looked like a normal sword, except for the richness of it. Briefly, he wondered if Meling's father had really made it, because, if it was what the witch said it was, it was old, and had been made long ago.

Syaoran lifted the sword up, thinking that he would try to use the magic. He closed his eyes and blanked his mind out, and searched the sword in front of him for some hidden trigger or button, something that would release the powers. He could not find what he wanted; however, there was something different about the dragons. He opened his eyes again and traced the carvings along the blade. He was right, there was something etched into the blade, which took the form of a dragon. He wondered if that was what had released the fire when he had been fighting the Lady of the North. His mind wandered once again, and he started to think of the Demon. How would he fight it? He did not think that fire would work, since fire was the most difficult and dangerous of the five elements. It was the one most readily held by servants of evil, and Syaoran doubted that it would help him at all.

He focused his eyes again and looked back at the blade. However, it was different. The dragons were gone, and etched on the blade was an intricate Celtic knot, in which a trinity was featured. Syaoran gave a cry and dropped the sword, stepping back.

"I say, what is the matter?" Takano asked, directly behind Syaoran.

Syaoran jumped and whipped around.

Takano held up his hands. "Steady there!" he said.

Syaoran looked back at the sword. "It...that...it changed!"

Takano stepped forward and examined it, but did not touch it. "I say!" he said. "This is amazing! It had dragons on it before, did it not?"

Syaoran nodded.

"Well, this is interesting! It looks as if you have one of the elemental swords of old, and a powerful one at that!" Takano told him, standing up.

"Elemental swords?" Syaoran asked.

Takano nodded. "Long ago, before the Demon came, this land was rich in magic. There were Priests and Priestesses of all kinds. Some who roamed the land, helping others out and singing for food and shelter…they were called bards back then. There were others whose soul purpose was to take care of nature; they were the Druids. There were some like the Priestesses of nowadays, who took care of villages, protecting them from vengeful spirits. And, there were others that crafted magical artifacts for warriors. An elite group of these fellows created the elemental swords. There were some created to defeat lesser beasts, and they were usually given to swordsmen. However, there were six elemental swords created that one could call 'elite.' They were stronger than the others, and were given to the mage kings of old. All of them could channel any element, but five of them were strongest in one element. The sixth, however, was strong in all of the five elements, much stronger than the other five. It was given to the High King, and he used it to drive all of the monsters from the land. However, it was in his son's reign that the Demon came to being. The sword, as powerful as it was, could not destroy the demon, for the demon was indestructible to those who did not know the Demon's secret."

Syaoran blinked. "Sakura..." he said.

"Eh?" Takano looked at Syaoran.

"Sakura must know the secret!" Syaoran said. "That is why the demon kidnapped her! When we get her back, we can destroy the Demon!"

"Ah, but no one has been able to destroy it!" Takano said. "Only confine it."

Syaoran nodded. "We will at least be able to confine it, then." He said.

Takano nodded. "It was one of the Sakura family Priestesses who helped the first High King's son to trap the demon. She was destroyed in the effort, but not before she begot a daughter to carry her line on." Takano smiled. "Some say that the father was the High King's son..." He blinked. "Anyways, I think that your sword is one of the five elemental swords of old. It has to be, for the lesser elemental swords did not have carvings like this, they only glowed. The one elemental sword was sealed in the tomb of the son of the High King after he died, the last of that line. No one has been able to get in."

Syaoran nodded and picked up his sword again. "What is this symbol?" he asked.

"It is the fifth element, manna," Takano told him. "Represented by the triquetra, a symbol of mind, body, and soul. How did you get it to change?"

"I thought about fighting the demon while holding it," Syaoran said. He frowned and thought about fighting the Witch of the North. Before his eyes, the knots shifted and changed shape, forming the Celtic dragons that were on it originally. Syaoran smiled broadly. "I think I know how to change its power," he said. "I just need to learn how to trigger it."

Takano shrugged and smiled. This was the first time he had seen Syaoran so very happy at something, and it gladdened his heart. "I do not know how to trigger it, but I will say this, we had better get going. We are about four days away from the demon's den, assuming it is where you say it is. Which I believe is true."

Syaoran nodded and sheathed the sword again, but a familiar feeling rose up in his gut. The witch had seemed very familiar, a little too familiar for comfort.

"Takano, did that witch ever tell you how she died?" Syaoran asked as they left the trees and headed back towards the western mountain ranges.

"I am sorry, I do not know," Takano replied.

Syaoran nodded. If Takano did not know her name, then it was very unlikely that he knew how she died. Nevertheless, the feeling of familiarity did not leave.

Once the companions were clear of the trees completely they brought the map out and adjusted their course once again. They set out a short cut across a large valley that would save them a day and a half's trip. Syaoran was grateful that they were every so much closer to rescuing Sakura. The next thing on the list of things to do was to learn how to trigger the sword's abilities.

"I say, Syaoran!" Takano called loudly.

"Yes?" Syaoran asked and looked up from his thoughts.

"I called your name three times, is something wrong?" Takano asked.

"I am sorry my friend," Syaoran replied and put an arm around Takano's shoulders. "I was just trying to think of ways to get the sword to react. But come, we have a significant journey through the Valley of the Mist."

Takano looked at Syaoran strangely. He could not tell by Syaoran's action whether he was trying to hide his growing anxiety, or if he was truly somewhat giddy about the news of the sword.

Syaoran was lost in his thoughts again when he felt a cold hand against his forehead and looked at Takano.

"I say Syaoran, are you feeling well? Because you are acting quite strangely," Takano said.

"Takano, I am just happy that we now have a way to safely rescue Sakura. Nothing ails my spirit or my body," Syaoran reassured.

Takano took his hand away from Syaoran's forehead. "I was just worried, I have never seen you act like this. It was just a precaution."

Syaoran laughed and patted Takano on the shoulder. "Come, we must cover much ground."

The two set off into the slowly setting sun. The sky had turned many different shades of purples and pinks and the clouds were thin and wispy. They gave the world a sense of hope and sereneness, an altogether calming factor to such desperate times.

Whenever they stopped, Syaoran would gobble down his food and stare at the sword, trying to discover its secret. At first, he tried banging the sword against something, seeing if the magic would come out if it came into contact with an object. When that did not work, he tried shouting at it, asking it, and talking to it. This, also, did not work. After a bout of banging the sword on the ground followed by cursing, Takano decided to step in.

"What happened when the power came to you?" he asked.

Syaoran paused in his banging and thought back. "I felt like I was in danger, and if I did not do something, I would die," he said. "I felt desperate."

"Maybe that is a trigger?" Takano asked, then turned back to summoning a pond to rest his feet in.

Syaoran stared at Takano, who was trying not to notice Syaoran's gaze, and then looked back at the sword. He reasoned that it might work, so he closed his eyes and thought back to when he fought the ice lady. He recalled the feeling of terror that had washed over him when the ice crystal shot towards him, and of hopelessness. He opened his eyes again and, to his surprise, a few flames lanced down the sword.

"I DID IT!" Syaoran shouted, startling Takano and causing the river man to fall backwards.

"Could you be a little less loud about it?" Takano asked and scratched his head.

"Sorry," Syaoran said.

Takano got up and looked at the sword wearily and took a few steps back. Syaoran looked at the river man and put the sword away.

"I am sorry about that Takano. I am just overjoyed that I know how to control that power. But I am not sure if it will be enough to get Sakura out of the clutches of that demon," Syaoran explained.

"Well, we will cross that bridge when we get there," Takano replied making a small movement with his hands.

As they continued on their journey a large set of dusty mountains appeared over the ridge of the horizon. They were tall and dark, daring anyone to get near, and if anyone did, it seemed as if they would swallow you right up. Very few pieces of vegetation grew on the mountains, and what did grow, was usually poisonous.

They neared the mountains and it seemed as if the mountains themselves reached out and choked the land with its shadow. The land was dry and cracked and there were remains of those who had tried to get in before, both carcasses of animals and humans. Takano shuddered slightly as he saw the remains of one of his kind.

Syaoran looked around and saw that some of the land was scarred, most like from a fight between someone with a sword and someone much larger.

"I suggest we hurry...." Takano said quietly. "We do not want to let whatever did this to know that we are here."

Syaoran nodded and quickened his pace a bit; but the farther they got into the mountain ranges, the more carcasses and bones they saw.

"This does not feel right," Syaoran stated as he walked past what seemed to be a person dressed in knight's armor.

Takano looked around. "Something is coming..."

Syaoran drew his sword and peered into the narrow passageway in front of them. A large, hairy spider with saliva dripping from it's fangs and pieces of it's web attached to it's body was sitting, cleaning its pincers with its forelegs. Syaoran grimaced and pulled back. A bit of the saliva hit the ground and hissed, causing steam to rise. Syaoran doubted that the saliva was nothing that a human could ever make in its mouth.

"What is it?" Takano asked.

"A huge beast in the shape of a spider," Syaoran replied. He looked at his sword and saw that the Celtic dragons were on the blade. He reasoned that this was either the best element to fight it with, or that his sword was the fire sword, and it had decided to use its strongest element.

"What are we going to do?" Takano asked.

"I do not know," Syaoran said. "I will have to kill it in one blow, and I would have to get close enough to get a good one in."

Takano peered around the corner. "I say! It is a great, hulking sort of a beast, is it not?" He looked at Syaoran. "I will distract it with a bit of rocks and water," he said. "You get in when it is paying attention to me and stab it!"

Syaoran nodded. "Right," he said. He lifted up his sword into a ready position and waited for the chance to come.

Takano ran out into the passage, a ball of concentrated water hovering in front of him. "Hey, you brute!" Takano shouted and hurled the water at the beast.

The spider gave an inhuman scream and turned to face Takano. The water ball had hit it on the side of the head, on a giant, faceted eye. The water dripped down the side of its head, and, when it collided the saliva, sent up a black, foul smelling smoke.

Takano was already busily throwing rocks at it, and shouting various battle cries.

The spider screamed again and regarded Takano with its good eye, the pincers clicking together. After a few seconds and several more thrown rocks, it charged at the river man.

Takano leapt back and sent another ball of water at it, this time hitting it square in the head.

The spider paused in its charge, the pincers clicking in rage as it shook its hulking body, trying to dislodge the water.

Syaoran judged that this was the appropriate time to move, and ran forward.

Takano saw Syaoran running towards the spider and sent another water ball at the spider.

Syaoran yelled and fire lanced up the sword, lighting up the passageway.

The spider, seeing a bright light coming towards it, screamed and charged at Syaoran, intending to extinguish this new fearful enemy.

Syaoran saw with dismay that the beast was heading towards him instead of towards Takano, no matter how many rocks the river man threw at the spider, and paused in dismay. However, the spider had no such feelings and continued towards the young man. Not knowing what else to do, Syaoran dived to the ground, curling his body so that he would roll instead of land, and held his sword out at an angle. He rolled underneath the spider, his sword cutting the bottom of two of its legs.

The spider recoiled and writhed, waving its injured legs around.

Takano gave a shout and threw another water ball at the spider, followed by a few more stones.

Syaoran leaped up and jumped away from the beast, running around to where its head was, intending to gouge out one eye. However, when he approached its head, the spider snapped around and almost cut Syaoran in two with its huge pincers. Syaoran dived and rolled again, coming to a stand on the other side of the head. Before the spider could react, he sliced off a whole leg.

The spider almost collapsed on its weakened side but recovered before it hit the ground. Syaoran ran out of the way once again and paused a few yards from the spider, in a battle stance. He panted and wiped some sweat away from his eyes. He was tiring fast; dodging a huge spider was not easy. The fire on his sword was still burning brightly, no less diminished from when he began fighting.

The spider turned to look at Syaoran. It was angered and frightened; nothing had ever wounded it this badly before. It considered running away, but its pride was hurt, so it charged at Syaoran again, intending to cut the man in half.

Syaoran saw the beast run towards him again and took a step to run away. However, he stepped on a loose stone and twisted his ankle. He groaned and looked down at his injured foot. A shout from Takano reminded him of where he was and what was happening, and he looked up again and realized with dismay that looking down at his feet had lost him precious time. With a curse, Syaoran held his sword up in front of him, perpendicular to the ground, blade facing to the beast. It would land right in the center of the pincers. Syaoran had time to regret pausing before the beast was upon him. However, before the pincers could snap closed, a huge burst of fire left the sword and the spider caught on fire. The beast shuddered to a halt, flaming pincers on either side of Syaoran. For some reason, Syaoran moved his sword so that the edge tapped the exact middle of the pincers. A fiery line ran through the spider, in the exact center of it. The beast gave one last shudder before it was split in half, fire licking at both halves of the body.

Syaoran slumped to the ground, frightened and exhausted. His ankle hurt, so much that he did not notice that he was covered with slime from the monster.

Takano hurried to Syaoran and pulled him away from the slain beast, the body almost entirely consumed in fire. "I say, good fight!" he exclaimed, running water from his hands over Syaoran's filthy body.

Syaoran winced and pulled his ankle towards him. "I think I sprained it," he said.

"It is lucky that is the only scratch you came out with!" Takano said. "I thought we were done for!"

"If I am injured so, Takano, how will we get the Priestess out of the clutches of that vile demon?" Syaoran asked, rubbing his ankle tenderly.

He never foresaw this happening, and his hopes were dampened.

"Buck up Syaoran, it is not over yet," Takano reassured Syaoran.

But in all honesty, Takano was worried - very worried. By now the priestess probably could not walk. How was he supposed to support Syaoran and dodge the demon to get the priestess as well? Takano looked up at the sky and silently prayed that they would be able to do this.

"Can you stand?" Takano asked.

He helped Syaoran to his feet and watched as Syaoran tested the strength of his ankle.

"I can walk, but I will not be able to outrun anything any time soon; especially the demon," he replied.

"Well, it is still a ways until we reach the demon's den, maybe the strength in your ankle will return to you," Takano said; silently praying that that would happen.

The started down the passage way that the large smoldering spider had emerged from and there was a steady climb up the side of the mountain and the strength in Syaoran's ankle did begin to return, though very slowly.

The farther they got up the side of the mountain the drearier it became. The mountain, at some point, had been covered in thick, green trees, but everything now was burned and dead, nothing remotely beautiful grew anywhere and it seemed to suck the spirit right out of the two companions as they continued to the peak of the mountain.

"Syaoran, let us rest," Takano said and leaned against a rock. "The elevation has increased greatly since we started."

Syaoran sunk to the ground and leaned against another rock. "At least we have not had to face anything else."

Takano nodded and began drinking from his hands, then walked over to Syaoran and gave him some. Syaoran eagerly took the offering.

"We should be almost to the peak," Syaoran commented, after he hand finished drinking the water.

Takano nodded. "I suspect that it will be only a few more hours to get to it. However," he added and stared up the path. "It will probably be very steep."

Syaoran nodded. He pulled off the boot off of his injured foot and examined it. It was bruised and swollen and tender to the touch.

Takano shook his head. "I'll pour some water over it," he said. "We shall see if that helps."

Syaoran closed his eyes and leaned back as the cool liquid poured over his ankle. The water helped out a lot, and he wondered if it was normal water. After the trickle of water stopped, Syaoran dried off his ankle and slipped on his boots again. If they rescued the Priestess he vowed to find some healing herbs in the valley before they continued on.

"We should get moving again," Takano said and gazed up the path.

Syaoran grunted and stood up, testing his ankle. The rest had helped it a little bit and he could almost ignore the pain it gave him.

However, after an hour of steep climbing, Syaoran doubted whether or not his ankle would hold up. While walking on flat land and shallow climbs helped out the state of his injury, the climb seemed to make it worse and worse. When he had stumbled for the third time, Takano simply picked up Syaoran and carried him over his shoulder.

"You do not need to carry me!" Syaoran protested.

"We will not get anywhere if you slip and break your neck, will we?" Takano asked.

Syaoran sighed. "Do not hesitate to put me down if you tire," he said.

The next hour passed more slowly, as the climbing went more slowly. Takano was obliged to put Syaoran down and rest for a bit, and Syaoran stubbornly refused to be carried unless he fell several times.

Finally, the two reached the top of the summit. Before them was a flat expanse of land about one mile wide by a half a mile deep. The air was rancid and heavy, and smelled strongly of death. Syaoran and Takano shuddered and sat down at the end of the path behind some boulders.

"I suggest we rest here," Takano said. "We do not want to get any closer until we have to."

Syaoran drew his sword and set it in his lap to look at it. Its edge gleamed in the light from the sun that was pouring down on them; it seemed to be the only source of hope that could be found in their dreary surroundings.

The two sat there in silence, both contemplating what they were to do once they actually go into the ruins and were confronted by the demon. Their only true hope was the sword, and if Syaoran could not get the sword to lash out at the demon with it's powers, then they would be trapped. Both Syaoran and Takano knew that their success rate was low, and that their chances of survival were even lower, but they were still determined and that was the only thing that seemed to keep them going.

Syaoran released a heavy sigh and closed his eyes, thinking about ways to get the sword to react. Images flashed before his eyes, images of the demon, and someone that looked like himself with a sword. It was glowing a soft taupe color and the person holding it looked determined. The sword's light began growing until all he saw was a bright light. As it faded he saw himself carrying a body and the demon writhing on the floor, screaming so horribly that he thought his eardrums would burst.

"Syaoran!" Takano called and shook his shoulders.

His eyes fluttered open and Takano stopped shaking him.

"What happened? It looked like you were in pain," Takano said.

"I saw.... I saw myself, and the demon," Syaoran said, trying to regain his bearings and register where he was.

Takano looked at the sword, the triquetra was back and it was glowing softly. "Syaoran... the sword."

Syaoran looked down at the sword and his eyes widened. That dream did more than show him how to trigger the sword; it actually triggered it for him. But, as his determination turned into awe, the swords glow faded and returned to the normal sword.

"We must go now Syaoran," Takano said and helped Syaoran up off the ground.

They began to cross the ruins, there were pools of liquid bubbling and erupting everywhere and whatever the gas was that was released ate away at the ground, dissolving it into larger pools. The two companions said nothing for fear that the demon would hear them and they would never get inside. The sun was setting and the world around them grew darker and darker and the ground disappeared under their feet. They were only lead by their sense of hearing, avoiding the pools and rocks and roots that were scattered along the pathway. Their bodies began to feel heavy and their pace slowed as their breathing became ragged. Their death-like stillness was effecting their brains, Syaoran's most of all. Takano had to pull him away from many pools to keep him going.

As they drew closer to the entrance, the air seemed to only get denser and the two had more and more problems breathing normally. Syaoran had begun using the sword as a walking stick, his legs wanted to give out on him, but he would not let them.

The stopped before a large arc carved into the mountainside.

"We," Takano started and gasped for breath, " made it."

Syaoran swallowed the growing fear that was rising in his throat and set his determination. He hefted the sword up and walked through the opening. The first thing that told Syaoran that he was in the right place was the stench. He gagged heavily but kept himself from throwing up was little was in his stomach. He ripped a small piece of cloth from his clothes and tied it around his head; he had to be able to think clearly.

Takano, who had followed Syaoran in, tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to something through the dimness ahead of them. Syaoran followed his outstretched arm and saw a large throne at the far end of the hall. He did not need to be told whom the throne belonged to. Syaoran gave an involuntary shudder and turned to Takano.

Takano's eyes were widening and he pointed to Syaoran's sword. It had started glowing softly, the same color as in his dream. Syaoran looked at it, then looked back at Takano frantically. Takano made a motion that represented extinguishing a light. Syaoran shook his head. If he did not know how to make the sword react, he certainly could not quench its magic.

Takano tugged gently on Syaoran's tattered tunic. Syaoran understood what he meant instantly, and gingerly handed the sword to Takano before taking off his tunic. He ripped it into shreds and wrapped them around the blade. After he was satisfied that the sword no longer showed any light, the two men looked at each other.

"Where should we go?" Syaoran whispered to his friend.

"No idea, mate," Takano whispered back. "It is up to you, now. I will follow you wherever you go."

Syaoran stared blankly at Takano. He had counted on the water-creature to know where to go, just like he seemed to know everything. Syaoran then looked away, back at the throne. He bit his lip.

"Where would she be?" he wondered.

On an impulse, he started to walk towards the throne. Sakura would be in a safe place, somewhere the Demon could keep a close watch on her. That would be somewhere near the Demon frequented. He knew it was just a whim, but he supposed that the Demon would be one to flaunt his power and make others know it, and therefore spend much time on a throne. As they approached the huge, grotesque chair, a door to the right of it on the wall behind the throne became visible. Without hesitation, Syaoran walked to it, Takano one step behind him, and opened it.

The stench of the castle increased as the two men stepped into the room. Syaoran felt a sudden urge to flee, but he suppressed it and gripped the hilt of his sword with two hands. Sakura was here, and so was the Demon.

"Who dares enter my castle?" a deep voice rolled over them. It seemed to be the epitome of evil to Syaoran, and he resisted the smile that tried to cross his face.

"One who will save the priestess," Takano's voice rang out.

"What is he doing?" Syaoran thought as Takano stepped forward. The answer came instantly to Syaoran. Distracting the Demon, giving him a chance to prepare. Syaoran sighed and closed his eyes, concentrating on the feeling of determination that had once crossed over him.

"Save the Priestess?" the Demon spat back. "She is already dead!"

Despair knifed at Syaoran before he regained control over himself. Sakura was not dead; he could feel it. He once again concentrated on the sword.

"Then, I shall avenge her death," Takano returned. The room brightened slightly as an orb of slightly glowing water appeared in his hands.

"A water sprite?" the Demon laughed. "Such a mere imp could not even annoy me with that!" It took a thundering step forward.

As it did, a small form on the ground became visible to Syaoran. Rage welled up in the young man and his sword blazed.

The Demon stopped its approach toward Takano, who had backed against the wall, and looked at Syaoran.

Through the new source of light, Syaoran could see the face clearly. The red eyes reflected the light back at Syaoran.

"What is this?" the Demon hissed. He blocked the light from his eyes.

Syaoran realized that his vision was replaying. He removed the rags from his sword and the light from it became blinding.

The Demon screamed and backed up against the wall.

Takano rushed over to Syaoran. "I say, you did it!" he cried jubilantly.

Syaoran flew over to the small form at the far end of the room. He was right; it was Sakura. However, she looked horrible. Her limbs were horrible looking, dirty, and the flesh seemed to be hanging off her all-too visible bones. All the clothes had been removed from her body, and Syaoran could see cuts and bruises all over her. With an angry cry, he smashed the chain around her neck with the blade of his sword.

Startled, Sakura jumped and looked up at Syaoran. Her eyes were too large in her head, and he could see the fear in them clearly. "Syaoran?" she whispered.

Syaoran knelt by her. "It is me," he murmured.

Takano held out his cloak, and Syaoran wrapped the frail woman in it before he lifted her off the ground.

"We are leaving," Syaoran said. He handed Sakura to Takano and looked at the Demon, who was still screaming and writhing.

The demon, in all its evilness, looked nothing more than a bug trying to escape the noon summer sun.

Syaoran slowly backed out of the cave, still holding the sword pointed at the demon. It would buy them time to get off the mountain, and if he could keep the sword glowing it would prevent the demon from trying to kidnap the Priestess again. The sword would be their only hope, Syaoran's ankle was still in great pain and Takano could hardly run carrying the Priestess, not because she was heavy, but because she was in such bad shape. Syaoran was worried, extremely worried. Sakura's breathing was shallow, too shallow for his liking.

Once they cleared the entrance to the demon's den Syaoran called to Takano.

"Takano," he said softly. "How is she doing?"

"Not well my friend," Takano replied. "We need to get her to a healer soon."

"The next town is days from here..." Syaoran said.

"Then we must pray that there is one traveling in the direction we are heading," Takano replied shortly.

Syaoran took one last look at the demon den before limping to catch up with Takano.

"We must also get your ankle treated...walking on it has made it worse," Takano said, looking down at Syaoran's swollen ankle.

"I am more worried about the Priestess than my own ankle. At least I am able to walk...."Syaoran said and trailed off.

Takano nodded. "We should be safe if we enter the forest, the spirit will protect us from the demon while we rest."

"Do you think the spirit will be able to help Sakura?" Syaoran asked.

Takano was silent for some time.

"Takano?" Syaoran asked again.

"I am not sure mate... I am not sure," he replied and looked down at the woman in his arms.

Syaoran turned his face away. He refused to think about the possibility of her death. If she died, the world was out of hope and he.... Syaoran abruptly turned his thoughts to the forest spirit. She was powerful...she could do it.

They went down the mountain as quickly as was possible. Syaoran ignored the pain in his leg and Takano ignored the condition of Sakura. However, it was only a few hours before Syaoran collapsed.

"Are you alright?!" Takano cried when Syaoran gave a yell and fell down, sliding a few feet down the path.

"My leg," Syaoran said through clenched teeth. "I cannot walk on it anymore!"

Takano looked troubled.

"Just go," Syaoran said. "The Priestess is much more important than I am!"

Takano shook his head. "You are important, too," he said. "If you are not alive to defeat the demon, then Sakura will be useless."

Syaoran said nothing.

Takano put Sakura next to Syaoran and made sure that either one would not slip farther down the path, and then looked back up the mountain. The Demon's palace was no longer in sight, but both men knew that the Demon was just nursing its wounds and waiting for the time to attack.

"We will take a rest," Takano said finally.

"We cannot!" Syaoran gasped. "We have to get her to safety!"

"And, you have to heal!" Takano snapped. "Go to sleep. I will wake you up in a few hours time."

Syaoran stared at Takano.

"I am not leaving," Takano said and sat down on a rock across from Syaoran. "And you cannot carry the Priestess anywhere."

Syaoran slumped down. "Fine," he snapped.

"The time will not start until I see that you are asleep," Takano said after a few minutes in which Syaoran stared angrily at the sky.

Syaoran snapped his eyes shut. His sleep was not in a very deep sleep, but it did help to ease the pain in his leg. Syaoran did not know how much time had passed, but he felt himself being pulled out of sleep.

"Syaoran, it is time to get moving," Takano said. Not adding the part about the Priestess' condition worsening since they had stopped.

"How long has it been?" Syaoran asked, looking up into the sky; it was still day.

"Long enough," Takano replied.

In all truth, it had not been more than and hour. The Priestess was in such bad a bad condition that they had to get her to safety as soon as possible.

Syaoran painfully pushed himself up off the ground, his leg was still incredibly sore, but he could now walk on it.

The continued down the mountain as quickly as they could, both stumbled numerous times, but they never let themselves fall, or let Sakura fall. Quite often Syaoran would look over at Sakura. He could see that she was getting worse and knew why Takano and woken him earlier than he had intended.

The forest was coming into view as the vegetation around them changed from charred and dead, to luscious and vibrant. It was only a few miles off.

Syaoran looked up into the sky, it was beginning to show signs of night. They could not risk resting until morning; they had to make it to the forest today. They could not risk the Demon coming after them, everyone knew much to well that demons were stronger at night. He looked at Takano, who nodded.

"We will walk until we are safely within the lines of the trees," Takano said.

With the small burden of extra weight that Takano was carrying, and Syaoran's injury, it took longer than either of them had expected. The reached the tree line after night had fallen and the moon was beginning to rise. Once inside the forest, Syaoran collapsed with exhaustion and Takano carefully set Sakura down next to him. She had lost consciousness halfway along their journey to the forest, but luckily, she was still breathing.

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PLEASE review!! Beleive it or not, reviewing inspires us to write (well... it inspires Naoko. She just then kicks Sakura's butt into writing...) so REVIEW!


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